Postal Service, The - We Will Become Silhouettes...

Reviewed by: Scott Weber (11/21/05)

The Postal Service – We Will Become Silhouettes CD Single

This 4 song single is being released February 8th on Sub Pop Records. You might be asking yourself: Why does this even deserve a mention, let alone a review? The reason is plain. While the first song is “We Will Become Silhouettes,” a tune most of you are familiar with by now, the other 3 tracks are unreleased, including one brand new song entitled “Be Still My Heart.” The other two are cool remixes of songs off Give Up.

The first track is obviously the single itself. Ben Gibbard’s voice loftily dances above trance-like beats with extremely subtle keyboard and electronic effects added. These minor additions greatly enhance the song without overpowering the focal point: Gibbard’s stellar voice.

Now, on to the brand new song “Be Still My Heart.” Classic video game beep effects waver into a thick and dark verse with Gibbard’s voice once again floating on air. The beeps are then reintroduced along with a sort of electronic organ effect in between verse transitions. The chorus is gentle thanks to TPS’s trademark backup female vocals. I’m fairly certain that this is the same female vocalist that appeared on Give Up numerous times. Gibbard’s voice jumps in octaves to cry “Be still be heart, this could be a brand new start with you…” While this song is nothing overly complex, it is still amazing. The fusion of electronica and indie has never been done as well as it is with The Postal Service. Rest assured, this new track shows that they have no intentions of changing their style, as this song is the perfect evolution from Give Up. It’s darker at times, but the chorus is still infectiously poppy and catchy.

The two remixes are cool in their own respects, but I’ve never been much for remixes of songs that I already love. That being said, listening to the remix of “Nothing Better” is almost like listening to a different song. Instead of having a heavy drum beat that drives the song forward, obscure beats are used. While the song never really settles into a flow, it still creates a nice surrounding for the vocals. The final song is another version of “We Will Become Silhouettes”, which is a haunting, slow version of the song with an acoustic guitar and bizarre effects. It’s slow, has no flow, and really butchered the song for me. Then again, it is standard on most singles to include a remix of the single itself, so I understand why it’s on here. It’s just a poor mix of an already great song.

I’m not giving this CD a score simply because it’s only 4 songs, and 3 of them are versions of songs that have already been released. I just wanted to give you guys a glimpse at what’s ahead for the Postal Service. This CD is one that die-hard fans will want to pick up because of the remixes, but others should steer clear. That being said, the new song is outstanding and that alone may be worth purchasing this CD for some.