EastScene

Close your eyes. Envision yourself driving down the California coastline, windows down, wind blowing through your hair. Stopping at every scenic point, just taking all of the environment in, seeing the ocean, watching the others drive by from point to point, wherever they may need to go. Now open your eyes.

Ben Gibbard has successfully captured this vision. He seems to be able to capture our emotions in everything he does, perhaps because we see a little bit of ourselves in him. His work with Death Cab has lyrics that touch us personally due to the fact that they’re so relatable. The hopeless romantic in us all doesn’t feel so alone listening to his music, and a sense of hope is gained, knowing that we’re not alone in the way we feel. And he married Zooey Deschanel, which immediately took him from relatable to enviable. Yet we just can’t hate Gibbard, there’s something about him that just makes him that much like-able.

In his new album with Jay Farrar, which is used as the score for the documentary film “One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur,” Ben Gibbard takes us for a ride. A departure from the typical Ben Gibbard sound, but likeable nonetheless, One Fast Move showcases Gibbard and Farrar creating an alt-country/indie-folk album yet maintaining the some elements that have made their previous creations accessible. This album starts with a purely acoustic upbeat song about the California zephyr, with Gibbard on vocals. The album continues with “Low Life Kingdom,” with Farrar on vocals and a more country-tinged sound to it, with soft drum fills and southern twang, “I’m gonna die in full despair/wake up where the atmosphere is dearer/maybe close to heaven,”. It continues with Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar trading off on vocals on each song, each with a somewhat different sound, but all maintaining the country/folk-ish sound that makes the album cohesive.

All in all, this album is a treat for Ben Gibbard fans and indie folk/alt-country fans alike, blending the two in a way that can be appreciated by both sides. The album of course has its stand out tracks, those for me being “California Zephyr,” “San Francisco,” and the title track “One Fast Move or I’m Gone”. However, the entire album runs really well together, and creates a good album to just relax and listen to. Or maybe, take a drive down the coastline, windows down, wind blowing through your hair. Make that vision a reality.

-Jeremy Froncek

Overall Rating: 8.7

RIYL: Death Cab for Cutie, Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan, Whiskeytown, Conor Oberst (solo material)