Painting a Burning Building

Painting a Burning Building's charm lies within it's chameleon like approach to songwriting/production. Songs like "Already In Amazement" (temptations of an "other woman"), "Since You've Gone Away" (loss of friends/family/love) and "Moving On" (relationship's end) lean more on the Cars-esque rock tendencies with squealing synth/chunky guitars. Then you have the Costello-ed "I'll Write These Songs" (generational gap), the soulful "Permanent Smile" (growing up), the Sebadoh-ed rocker "KMS" (office-crush) and the Old 97's/Built To Spill thriller "Loose Women" (the title says it all). Once we arrive at the end of the disc things take a turn for the Brian Wilson. "Old Heartless Sun" (voyage gone wrong) is a proggish electro-sea chantey. "Second Story" (secret admirer) is a warm Wilco-esque tune that goes into a "KMS" reprise and then an extremely somber sound collage. "Seeing You In No Time" (train-wreck and suicide) is another proggish tune which goes into a "Since You've Gone Away" reprise and yet another atmospheric sound collage that ends the album. Hidden in the mixes on this masterpiece are members of Ozma, The Singles, The Verve Pipe, Blues Traveler, Saturday Looks Good To Me and The Original Brothers and Sisters Of Love.