The West Is the Future

The West Is The Future stands as my most-beautiful gem of summer used CD hunting. I'd never heard of Kid Dakota before coming across the title in April, mistaking it at first for Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy, due to its Will Schaff cover art. I like pictures, but that alone was never enough to make me shell out the money (only $5, but my whims aren't as funded as they once were). Clicking around on Insound led me to the album's page at random earlier this year, and after doing that bit of reading and discovering Zak Sally's involvement handling bass duties for the band, I figured the Low-connection was enough to settle on buying the thing. Nearly seven months after spying it by chance, The West Is The Future was exactly where it had been, and for the next few months, I'm fairly sure it'll remain where it's at now -- my CD player. Well, actually, iTunes playlist. Opener ''Pilgrim'' relates back to Okkervil River again, rushing through like their more high-energy works, and Zak Sally's not wasted: ''Homesteader'' is moody and plodding, while featuring slightly Thom Yorke-esque vocals by front man Darren Jackson, and tracks ''Pine Ridge'', ''Starlight Motel'', and ''2001'' all echo Low. Deepening the link, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker also appear to intensify the album's grandiosity.

The West Is The Future stands as my most-beautiful gem of summer used CD hunting. I'd never heard of Kid Dakota before coming across the title in April, mistaking it at first for Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy, due to its Will Schaff cover art. I like pictures, but that alone was never enough to make me shell out the money (only $5, but my whims aren't as funded as they once were). Clicking around here led me to the album's page at random awhile back, and after doing that bit of reading and discovering Zak Sally's involvement handling bass duties for the band, I figured the Low-connection was enough to settle on buying the thing. Nearly four months after spying it by chance, The West Is The Future was exactly where it had been, and for the next few months, I'm fairly sure it'll remain where it's at now -- my CD player. Opener ''Pilgrim'' relates back to Okkervil River again, rushing through like their more high-energy works, and Zak Sally's not wasted: ''Homesteader'' is moody and plodding, while featuring slightly Thom Yorke-esque vocals by front man Darren Jackson, and tracks ''Pine Ridge'', ''Starlight Motel'', and ''2001'' all echo Low. Deepening the link, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker also appear to intensify the album's grandiosity.