(09.21.06) Recommends:

The Long Winters, the song "Clouds" from the album "Putting the Days to Bed" (Barsuk, 2006).

Okay, so here's the thing about The Long Winters: I can never recommend an entire album, because there's always a hand full of songs that make me kind of cringe, or make me kind of bored. And that might prevent them from achieving huge widespread success. And that's a tragedy because they are, by far, one of the best live bands on the planet. Live, the songs that otherwise make me cringe, make me instead smile and dance, at least in my awkward white man dance style. John Roderick follows the voices in his head, and the world is a better -- better! -- place for it. The last time I saw them they opened for The Fiery Furnaces in a tiny basement bar in the City and County of San Francisco. And god bless The Fiery Furnaces, but there was nothing they could have done to prevent from being completely overshadowed by the show put on by The Long Winters. So, maybe you'll check out the new album or maybe you won't. No faulting either choice, really. But if this band is playing in your hometown, or within a reasonable distance of your hometown, and you pass up the show, you are making a terrible mistake. For those in the Bay Area, they play at Café Du Nord on October 13 (Barsuk label mates What Made Milwaukee Famous open the show).