ARTiST: Todd Herfindal
ALBUM: Collective
BiTRATE: 218kbps avg
QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz
LABEL: Single Recordings
GENRE: Rock
SiZE: 66.61 megs
PLAYTiME: 0h 40min 23sec total
RiP DATE: 2008-10-31
STORE DATE: 2008-09-29
Track List:
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01. Air I'm Breathing 3:47
02. Finally Movin' On 3:19
03. Waiting on the Sun 4:03
04. Won't Look Back 3:46
05. Forget It All Again 3:37
06. Jaded 3:31
07. This is a Love Song 3:46
08. Here We Are 3:41
09. So Let Me In 3:22
10. Hope You're Happy 3:25
11. If I Hesitate 4:06
Release Notes:
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OK, it is official. Todd Herfindal (Her-fin-doll) is my new songwriting hero.
The Meadows frontman releases this 11 track set of solo tunes aptly titled,
"Collective" on September 29 and fans of shimmering jangle pop everywhere need
to take note.
As with most debut solo releases, you kind of fear that the tunes may just be
stray leftovers that were not up to snuff for their band. This is certainly not
the case with the tunes on "Collective", each one is capable of standing up to
the quality of any track on the Meadows CDs. Having released two full-length
Meadows CDs and now this solo CD (not counting his numerous collaborations)
since 2004, he is one of the most prolific singer/songwriters of the day. More
impressive than that, I do not believe I've ever heard a bad song penned by
Herfindal.
Despite being a literal collection of songs from over the years that for some
reason or other did not find their way onto a Meadows CD, "Collective" plays
seamlessly like a premeditated full-length studio project. The CD is entirely
consistent and works well as a cohesive release. As a whole, the material is not
too different than The Meadows, so we're talking sounds like The Jayhawks, Tom
Petty, and the more rocking side of Counting Crows. Herfindal has one of the
best voices for this genre of music, with great instincts on when to throw in a
growl and when to let things simmer.
"Air I'm Breathing" is a wonderful way to start the CD - Todd's voice is always
like a blast of fresh air, and the lyrical theme is a great daily affirmation:
"I won't waste another day on little things that don't mean nothing". "Waiting
on the Sun" is another bright spot - a little more laid back with some greasy
slide guitar and gleeful harmonies. "Won't Look Back" is a classic Herfindal
ballad and his emotive vocal instincts soar above the lush string accompaniment.
We leap back to foot stomping, sing-a-long action with "Forget It All Again",
which laments "Maybe someday we'll learn half of what we need to know and forget
it all again by tomorrow". "This Is A Love Song" is a beautiful acoustic driven
ballad with another subdued, but brilliant vocal performance. "Here We Are"
showcases his alt-country side, a happy romp featuring some tastefully placed
accordion, brush drumming, and gentle strumming. One of my favorite tracks, "So
Let Me In" features one of the funkiest verse grooves I've heard Herfindal write
- their juxtaposition with the super melodic chorus works perfectly and
highlights this man's skill as a songwriter.