Picks Us Apart

Oakland's men in black, The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up, return with their third and finest record to date. The band took a break while singer Paul Gonzenbach struggled with a recurrence of the mental illness that he'd battled in the past. This experience frames much of the album's lyrical content, but shockingly, the music on the record is the band's poppiest and most ambitious to date. Named after a friend of the band's, the Jim Yoshii Pile-Up has earned itself a devoted fanbase from its first two albums, It's Winter Here and Homemade Drugs and a slew of singles, EP's and comp tracks. Joined by Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart (who sings back-up vocals on several tracks including the album's first single "Silver Sparkler") and other friends, the Jim Yoshii Pile-Up set about making a record that defied their own expectations and challenged their own notions of what their band sounded like. They succeeded in spades. RIYD: Death Cab For Cutie, The Cure, New Order.