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The second release by Brooklyn's Piñataland opens with a ditty entitled "Ashland" that is so distinctly semi-twang it evokes the fabulous first album the Beachwood Sparks. Direct line of descent from the 'Sparks leads us back to the founding fathers of country rock: the Byrds. The reason the Byrds succeeded where others failed was that they were unafraid to try new things, to explore.
Like their sonic ancestors Piñataland are explorers. Perhaps not homesteading pioneers but the type of explorer who wanders from place to place observing and absorbing.
The second track found on "Songs for a Forgotten Future Vol. 2" is an ode to an 1800s cliff jumper/protester called "The Fall of Sam Patch". If you thought you knew what this album was all about with the first track you're quickly proven wrong. "The Fall..." is a wonderfully composed chamber pop piece that reels us into it's tale of a daredevil with a purpose.
The topics found on this album are generally serious, deep. From the haunting of America to mistreated Greenlanders they all tell a story and nothing here is frivolous. But you wouldn't know the gravitas of this record by the sound of it.
WIth the exception of "If Ice were Warm" the songs are clear and bright, relaxed and easy-going. This is enticing pop music meant to be savored. What makes this album work is the melodies and harmonies which are uniformly sweet and inviting... and ultimately wonderfully catchy ear-worms.
I can't find Piñataland on a map, but I'm sure it must between the country-rock frontier of the Byrds and the chamber-pop as urban folk of the Decemberists.
Overall a lovely collection.
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Piñataland:
http://pinataland.com/
http://www.myspace.com/pinataland
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