vintage

It has been a busy couple of weeks for new albums in Ruheeland. The Futureheads’ This Is Not the World, Sloan’s Parallel Play and Sam Roberts’ Love at the End of the World have all made it into my hands within the past little while. And now, I get to weigh in.

First up: Sam Roberts’ third full-length LP – well, and what a record it is, ladies and gents. I could just sum it up like so: I love it.

However, since I’m prone to rambling on and on for longer than is necessary, I’ll keep going.

I have all of Roberts’ recorded output so far: the aforementioned three LPs as well as a 2002 independently released EP. And I really like it all. My first experience was We Were Born in a Flame, about a year after its release, and things just went merrily along from there. I soon found out that Sam Roberts has a particular style and sound, and you can count on his records to contain that. Chemical City was one that I enjoyed, but never completely pulled me in; it sounded and felt like Sam, which I liked, but nothing really stood out about it when I compared it to We Were Born in a Flame. And so I continued on being an average fan.

Then Love at the End of the World hit, and things changed a bit.

This record is fantastic. It is hard to put your finger on exactly what is so great about it sometimes; it still sounds just like Sam Roberts, that breezy, jaunty pop-rock thing he’s got going on, but something about it is far more worthy of praise and repeated listening than Chemical City was. “Detroit ‘67″, the piano-filled summertime-rock closer, alone makes the record worth it.

I’ve spent quite a lot of time with it in the week (!) that I’ve had it, and it’s amazing to me how it holds up. The album is a joyful dash through green summer fields, yelling the lyrics along while the sun sets. I’ve been fixated on “Lions of the Kalahari,” which starts off somewhat sparse and somehow manages to be laid-back and driving at the same time (what?). “Fixed to Ruin” is a pretty catchy little number, and there’s no discounting the single “Them Kids,” featuring trademark simple-but-instantly-recognizable guitar work as the kickoff. Roberts is an excellent musician, and nothing is compromised here.

It’s hard to write this review, for some reason, because I just want to say “It’s awesome!” over and over (which, arguably, I already have) … so I will end with the affirmation that yes, Love at the End of the World might just be Sam Roberts’ best yet.

Have a listen: Detroit ‘67