Such an appropriate album cover. Sun bleached, hard to read, and submerged. Washed Out's artwork perfectly embodies their sound. Each song's sound distant, retro, and warm. They haven't recorded the mood of a summer day, so much as the memory. "Feel it All Around" is a particularly convincing blend of weed smoke and surfer waves. Don't think too much.
This was the first posthumous collection released after the Godfather of Soul passed away. It's probably the most complete compilation put together. Nothing blatant's missing, and quite a few deeper cuts make it in the 40 track list including my favorite "Doing it to Death." The only real issue I have with this album is that the ordering is kinda wonky. All the energy burns off in the first half, then you only have left are a bunch of really slow, mournful tunes. Re-order it.
What amazes me most about "Microcastle" is how subversively it changes temperature. The slow and warm opening guitars of "Cover Me" insulate the listener. Slowly, everything becomes cooler, sparser, and crystalized in the metallic percussion and spacey electronics. The second half of the album picks things back up. "Nothing Ever Happened" is a great great song.
Hey, it's raining outside and it's one of my guiltiest pleasures. Robert Smith, aka the godfather of everything emo that followed, put together one of the most syrupy and solemn albums I ever allowed in my collection. His lyrics are so over the top ("I've been looking at these pictures of you, they're almost real... they're the only thing I can feel... I'm crying for the death of your heart) I'd be offended if he didn't try to sell them so forcefully with such sincerity. Everything sounds distant, I'm feeling distant today, so deal.
