I'll start with a confession.. I really don't know much about Pinback's history or biography. All I know is that this is a downright amazing album and that they're a downright amazing band.
Summer in Abaddon is an album I can recommend to any fan of Indie or slower rock. From beginning to end, the guitar and bass and drums and vocals all mix perfectly into the perfect blend to chill out to or do some heavy thinking to. The album starts off with Non-Photo Blue. The intro to the song is a catchy little clean guitar riff which almost immediately is backed up with drums and bass. At about :16 the vocals come in with a catchy and upbeat sounding tone. The main riff is played throughout the verse and the pre-chorus, then the chorus changes it up a bit but is still just as catchy and alive as the verse. The song basically remains the same pattern throughout the whole thing and then it's over. Not too complex, but still very nice.
Next in the line up is Sender. Starting off with another lone guitar riffs with some FX in there, soon backed up by some bass and then by the drums and another guitar part. The part that stands out most of this song is the chorus, mainly because of the vocals. Like Non-Photo Blue, Sender remains very samey throughout the whole thing, but is still very nice to listen to.
Next up is Syracuse. Starting off with a lone guitar riff. Starting to see a pattern? Soon backed up by another guitar and vocals and then soon backed up by drums. And piano! This is one of the best songs on the album because throughout the whole song it seems to pick up the pace instead of staying the same like NPB and Sender. This song is what Pinback is all about, utilizing beautiful vocals and riffs together with a drum beat that perfectly ties everything together.
Next song in the line up is Bloods on Fire. This song starts off with a nice quiet little guitar and keyboard riff. Backed by soft drums and piano and mellow lyrics. To me, this song is a lot like Sender and doesn't live up to Non-Photo Blue and Syracuse.
Moving on, we have Fortress. This song is a gem. Starting with yet another lone guitar riff and quickly backed up with a drumbox beat. The verse is very simple with just lyrics, guitar, beat, and some keyboard FX. The chorus is has very catchy vocals and a guitar riff that follows along with them. After the chorus the beat plays alone for a couple seconds and then goes back into the verse. Then the verse plays out and we have the chorus again, but with more instrumental. This carries onto a small bridge part and into the end. It sounds simple, but is one of the most catchy songs on the album.
Next we have This Red Book. The song starts with a lone drum beat which is backed up with bass and guitar after a while. The song remains peaceful throughout, switching up the guitar riffs a lot and going in and out of singing. Not one of my favorites, but not my least favorite.
Next we have another gem, Soaked. It starts out with a beat fading in and then a very lovely bass and guitar riff playing over it. The beat and the riff mix perfectly. Then soon we hear drums and vocals throughout yet another peaceful verse. Soon the song explodes into a chorus with faded vocals and a couple different riffs mixed together. Then after a short verse we have a beautiful little bridge part that leads into the next chorus. After this ends, the song slowly fades out. My second favorite on the CD.
Next up! 3x0. This song starts out with a drum beat AND a mellow guitar riff at the same time! The song remains very mellow throughout. Very samey. The middle of the song features a drum beat with a lot of piano and a soft acoustic guitar riff in the background with melodic singing. This part totally makes up for the rest of the song because it is to beautiful. The piano part ends and we are left with a short part with drums, vocals, and acousic guitar. Then the drums and the vocals leave and the song ends with a nice acoustic guitar riff fading out.
Next is the second to last song, The Yellow Ones. It begins with piano and a soft drum beat backed with humming. The verse is the same drum beat backed with pretty vocals and a pretty guitar riff. This song is extremely piano driven, the piano seems to override the guitar and goes right along with the vocals. The song ends with what sounds like radio chatter and leads into the next song, AFK. AFK is my favorite song on the CD because it is probably the least repetetive one. It starts off with a drum beat that fades in and is soon backed with a catchy guitar riff. The guitar riff ends suddenly and we have a simple but cool bass riff which is sung over. Then the verse has our guitar riff again with yelled vocals that leads into a small bridge part. Then it goes back into the verse. Next we have a nice little guitar riff that leads back into the drumming and main riff. The song repeats the same pattern throughout. It's also the longest on the CD at 5:13. It's a perfect ending to an excellent album because of the way it sounds like they're saying goodbye.
Overall, Summer in Abaddon is a beautiful album with many different guitar and bass riffs and many different singing melodies all tied together. It's almost impossible to write down how beautiful some of the songs sound. You just have to listen for yourself.
Pros: Obviously beautiful. A lot of meaningful lyrics and riffs that flow perfectly with everything else in the songs.
Cons: Extremely short. Sometimes it can feel a bit repetetive.
Recommended tracks: Non-Photo Blue, Syracuse, Fortress, Soaked, 3x0, AFK.
Track ratings:
1.) Non-photo Blue: 5/5
2.) Sender: 3/5
3.) Syracuse: 5/5
4.) Bloods on Fire: 3.5/5
5.) Fortress: 5/5
6.) This Red Book: 4/5
7.) Soaked: 5/5
8.) 3x0: 4.5/5
9.) The Yellow Ones: 3.5/5
10.) AFK: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
