Punknews.org | Limbeck - Hi, Everything's Great

Review Navigator

Features

Reviews

Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell (Deluxe)

Register to Vote: Rock the Vote, powered by Credo Mobile

Limbeck

Hi, Everything's Great
2003
Doghouse

Limbeck - Hi, Everything's Great (Cover Artwork)

Review by: Scott
See others by this writer

Limbeck (link)

Only registered users
can post comments

Published on June 20th 2003

Limbeck is best known to me as the Garage Monkeys, the fictional band that was in an early commercial for iMacs a number of years ago. The fictional group was playing a catchy pop song called "She's Online," and I spent ages trying to track down the band's CD, before being told they weren't real.

Well, sort of. That band was actually Limbeck, an indie-pop band from California. I logged the band in the back of my mind until earlier this year, when I saw a copy of the band's last album, "This Chapter Is Called Titles," sitting in my college's radio station. I snagged it, marvelled at the gorgeous packaging, and promptly ejected the CD from my stereo as the band had seemingly turned into run-of-the-mill emo quartet. It wasn't bad, but it surely wasn't what I was looking for.

Then this album showed up in my mailbox the other day, and this time, I've been marvelling at their stunning turnaround in musicianship.

The band has gone through some sort of morph into an alt-country act almost, with twangy guitars, straight-ahead drumming, and bluesy riffs scattered throughout the album's 12 tracks. I hear a lot of the band's former labelmates, the now-defunct Chamberlain, in these songs [ironic that Chamberlain went through an even more drastic musical change between their albums]. The instrumentation is also lush without being overbearing, with banjo licks and slide guitar in all the right places.

The group's lyrics are those of wistfullness and longing, but are sung without being whiny or annoying. These songs tell a story of a band on the road, and it's a fascinating tale that unwinds over the 37 minutes the album runs. The simplicity of the songs [reminiscent of, say, Rhett Miller/Old 97s] makes them all the more lovable.

In short, this album is completely not what I expected from Limbeck, and I couldn't be happier.

MP3s
Albatross and Ivy
Julia
I Wrote This Down
Brand New Orange

Login to rate this album

People who liked this also liked:

Please login or register to post comments.

What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?

Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

Posted by fictionaliceland on 2004-09-13 02:20:22
My Score:

I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't like this cd.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 5, 2003 at 10:27 PM (EDT)
My Score:

yeah, their "connection" ep is pretty crappy, but they're the first to admit that.. haha. but the new record is AMAZING. definitely soundtrack to the summer, and then some!

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 at 1:54 PM (EDT)
My Score:

I've only heard Limbeck through that split they did with Homegrown, called Connections.

What a boring band. But this sounds interesting, I may have to check it out.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, June 22, 2003 at 7:02 PM (EDT)
My Score:

wow scottie most people have to wait weeks to have crap reviews posted. You get to share new ones every week!

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, June 21, 2003 at 3:01 PM (EDT)
My Score:

my dad listens to old 97's. strange how its getting popular in "the scene".

Posted by tenderbransonx on 2003-06-21 06:22:51
My Score:

The Old 97's annoy me too. Or maybe its being told things like: "You don't listen the Old 97's? Whats wrong with you?"
-Steven.
review the world www.murdertheturtle.com

Posted by lieutenant on 2003-06-21 00:09:33
My Score:

The only song I have ever heard by this band was a Backstreet Boys cover, a few or couple of years ago. I have made my judgement, despite any quality of music they may or may not have today.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 20, 2003 at 9:11 PM (EDT)
My Score:

tomorrow night at chain reaction. heelll yeah

limbeck is awesome, musically [ bought the album today and have been listening to it for four hours. ] and as people. hilarious crazy people. especially matt and patrick.

oh.. and the guy that does piano and organ on the album is chris cron, the singer of the new hopeless records band, Melee. another orange county favorite. :)

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 20, 2003 at 5:31 PM (EDT)
My Score:

i listened to the mp3s and ran out of my house to buy the cd right away. Limbeck is the hardest band to get a hold of. They never tour the east coast, and their albums are very very poorly distributed. Thats sad cuz they're such an easy band to enjoy. Ok this album sounds pretty much just like The Get Up Kids "On A Wire", but so what? I fucking loved On A Wire, and i fucking love this.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 20, 2003 at 4:16 PM (EDT)
My Score:

I'd listen to this driving down Alabama. But other than that...

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 20, 2003 at 3:38 PM (EDT)
My Score:

july 11, fireside bowl. i'm there

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 20, 2003 at 1:27 PM (EDT)
My Score:

some of the nicest guys to pick up an instrument.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 20, 2003 at 11:55 AM (EDT)
My Score:

huh, limbeck sounding like the old 97's. interesting indeed. ill have to check this out.

Posted by iowanick on 2003-06-20 03:39:47
My Score:

these guys are cool and super nice. i dig their pop rock/country feel. it's amazing what happens when bands are super nice, and they are them.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 20, 2003 at 3:16 AM (EDT)
My Score:

Yeeeeeeeeeah

Features

Contests

Reviews

Limbeck