Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings Album: Shut Up I Am Dreaming [2006]
easily one of the busiest people in indie rock, vocalist/keyboardist spencer krug of the critically hailed wolf parade (as well as part time frog eyes member) leads sunset rubdown, intended to be an additional outlet for krug's songwriting and slightly more experimental than wolf parade. he released the first sunset rubdown album, "snake's got a leg", as a solo work in july 2005. it wasn't long until he assembled a full band. "shut up I am dreaming" is pure bedroom art-pop that is as poignant and self-effacing as it is self-conscious and pretentious. krug starts things off with a bang on "stadiums and shrines II," an explosive piece of self-propaganda that utilizes wolf parade's manic energy, arcade fire's willful introspection, and frog eyes' vocal shudder. it carries kind of apocalyptic results that are usually reserved for album end pieces (just like the title track!). it's a bold move, but it helps the listener figure out whether or not the road is worth taking in the first five minutes of the record, as what follows both expounds and splinters off from it. the album utilizes an arsenal of keyboards, xylophones, treated guitars, and compressed drums, and his vocals are both meek and imposing, showing a real knack for literate imagery. there's a melodious after-burn at work here that's missing from krug's work with the more accessible wolf parade, and, as we've come to realize, one that's not likely to flame out over the span of future recordings.
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