CD Review

If the Counting Crows were an independent rock band who always wrote such deeply personal songs like the ones from August and Everything After, then they would be named the Long Winters. The Long Winters’ lead singer John Roderick’s vocals imbue emotional inflection akin to Adam Duritz and John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Roderick has their songwriting chops as well.

The Long Winters’ debut album, 2002’s The Worst You Can Do Is Harm, establishes songs with grave banter of love and non-sequitors that sometimes rocks and sometimes marinates to acoustic sentiments. The Long Winters’ breakthrough came in 2003 after the release of When I Pretend to Fall when Roderick and group made the cornerstone foray into important band territory with one of their song’s being used on the O.C soundtrack. Both albums enlisted venerable friends - Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie fame and Peter Buck of R.E.M - assisting with production. With friends in high places, Roderick prepares for a productive future.

Ultimatum is a terse EP with four new songs and two live tracks offering the listener a preview of what will come from a full-length release next year. The first and best track is “The Commander Thinks Aloud,” with its melodic piano and Granddaddy synth sensibilities, the song evokes a parade fluidly moving in slow motion, then picks up at the bridge. The title track contains lush strings and folky arrangements bordering on alt-country. The lyrics, “I wish we were naked/and I wish that I could take it when you turn on me,” signifies the album’s conflicted feelings on relationships. The next track, “Everything is Talking,” is a jazz-infused track with a chorus taking the song into a pop-orientated direction. The first live track is “Bride and Bridle” from their first album about a man who has done time and the woman who didn’t wait for him. The live version of “Ultimatum” alters slightly from the original as it is acoustically stripped down with Roderick’s yearning voice penetrating against the absence of former melodies.

Not evolving into the mediocrity of Counting Crows, The Long Winters fall into the category of indie in the vein of more than one hit wonder bands Harvey Danger and Nada Surf, who are passionate and attentive about personal experiences yet have commercial appeal. Ultimatum becomes a genial sample for a band that isn’t really cutting edge but is worth a listen.