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The Rentals

It's Time to Come Home (2009)
self-released

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Jelone
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on July 28th 2009

July, the middle point of the year, calls for reflection. My dad traditionally declares the summer’s end after every Independence Day celebration. Fall is closer. And then winter. And then the end of the year, beginning another annual cycle, another slow death march to the grave, alone and forgotten. Plus, my Best Album of 2009 list is beginning to take form.

It’s July’s wistfulness in spite of its summery placement that makes it an appropriate month for the Rentals to release It’s Time to Come Home, chapter two in their Songs About Time project. This EP is all about regret (“Late Night Confessions”), nostalgia (“It’s Time to Come Home”) and longing (“Girls of the Metro”). Liner notes split into English and Spanish explain the songs’ histories. Like the band’s seminal release Seven More Minutes, both It’s Time to Come Home and its predecessor, Story of a Thousand Seasons, were conceived in Spain. That’s where the connections end, though.

Just as Seasons sounded mellower compared to 2007’s The Last Little Life EP, Home sounds even more subdued, weirdly recalling the barely-there sound of frontman Matt Sharp’s solo material. While still a worthy purchase, it’s the slightest, perhaps least essential Rentals material to date.

The title track opens the album with bits of synth and steady drums before Lauren Chipman’s viola and heavy breathing lend the song some gravitas. “No Desire #2” follows in a similar electronic-heavy style, with slightly more propulsive percussion. “Girls of the Metro,” featuring Ozma vocalist/guitarist Ryan Slegr, is just as dreamy. Jamie Blake takes over on vocals for “Late Night Confessions,” a country-tinged lamentation. As sparse as the first three songs sound, the emergence of an acoustic guitar is actually startling. It also ends an already downplayed release on a depressing note.

It’s Time to Come Home is slight and bare, an EP that passes by rather quickly. The first three tracks blur together after a while. And while it’s not exactly a standout summer record, it is well-suited for a contemplative July.

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i-type-poorly (July 30, 2009)

Man, Last Little Life was so good. I fooled myself into thinking The Rentals were back for real. But this is just Sharp's solo ego stroking with The Rentals title slapped on.

Jelone (July 30, 2009)

They really did shoot themselves in the foot by not doing a normal physical release. And to be honest, if I'd known what the songs sounded like ahead of time, I don't think I would've paid for the box set. Like, I'm cool with doing deluxe editions, but I can only hope they cave at the end of the project and do a normal CD. I agree with the recent Yemin interview; the thought of going strictly digital freaks me out.

greg0rb (July 30, 2009)

I am the biggest Rentals fan of all of my friends, and even I will not buy either of those huge packages, and I've not even looked at more than maybe one of the movies and maybe two months worth of their pictures. I also would just like a CD with nice art/digipack/whatever, with all 3 EPs combined. Why is this not an option?

pinkerton (July 29, 2009)

when i got the first ep of the set i thought it was some of their best material (certainly better than the "life" ep).

this second one just didnt do as much for me. i say stop worrying so much about taking pictures and making movies and write some better songs for the last one of the set.

also, who would spend 275 for the vinyl version of this??

50 would be my personal max.

score for review.

youwinalemon (July 29, 2009)

If you're friends with P, then you're friends with me.

blanktapesemptybottles (July 28, 2009)

fuck this I want a cd without paying like a million dollars for it, bad idea rentals, actually horrible idea

colin (July 28, 2009)

it's weird that this band is still around. i still listen to "the return of" the rentals on occasion. don't think i've heard anything since, but i did dig matt's little solo ep.

overdefined (July 28, 2009)

EPs. Brian is a stickler for rules.

greg0rb (July 28, 2009)

Despite your likely on-the-mark score, I must get this because, well, it's the Rentals. Don't know why I'm late on this again. Speaking of end of the year lists... if this new Rentals material were to make our lists, would they all go under the EP section as seperate entities, or do we lump them into one 'full-length' and stick it in the main list?