****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I loved Teitur's Poetry and Aeroplanes, it's hypnotizing sound, incredible optimism, buoyant lyrical poise, imaginative simplicity. Unfortunately, nothing he put out after that really felt like it had the same excellence, Aside from two songs: "Stay Under the Stars" and "All My Mistakes". As much as I wanted to love his newer albums I felt like he was in a dark place and Teitur had become too much hopeless, not enough romantic.That is...Until this album: Let the Dog Drive Home. In this album it seems he has both found God and his former poetic brilliance. In places I find myself wishing it was recorded more simply and acoustic but all artists have to grow in their sound. I applaud the effort and creativity. The album is eccentric feeling in some ways has a bit of a feel of a movie soundtrack. This works well on some tracks and not as well on others. All in all though, There are enough tracks to believe and love Teitur all over again. Still hoping Teitur does another major record label record. He's so good. I went through and did a short review of each song. His sound is a bit different than earlier records, so I've tried to make note of the many variant sounds.Standout/Must Have Tracks: Betty Hedges, All I Remember From Last Night is YouOther Top Tracks - You Never Leave LA, Freight Train, God I Have So Many Things to Tell You1)Feel Good - A mix between Bon Iver, James Taylor, and Ray Lamontagne, he sings "It's almost too good to be true, it's only making sense inside me...All you do is make me feel good. In a way I've never felt before". It has a nice string section fade.2) God I Have So Many Things To Tell You - One of the most sincere prayers I've heard in a song. The chorus has a nice sound. He battles back and forth with doubts and arrives at knowing a loving God who understands him3) Waverly Place - A more classic type Teitur song. Has a drum interlude that doesn't make sense, but overall a nice tune, with good lyrics.4)Freight Train - Hauntingly beautiful picture of childhood and growing up. "I never kissed the wrong girl...I never rode a freight train".5) Betty Hedges - The Standout track that you want to listen to over and over, with an obscenely catchy hook at the beginning, Teitur sings about an undefined love story where the girl has not given in to love yet. ".Big questions need small answers like Yes and No." The hopefulness of the tune gives you the sense that she eventually says Yes.6) You Never Leave LA - Another standout track, brimming with hope. Teitur's normal self mixed with a little bit of Piano balladeer7) Stormy Weather - Sort of atmospheric echoey sound8) Fly on the Wall - Poised look at shyness and observing, being the "Fly on the Wall". Love it! Another nice hook, with some Ben Folds-esque transitions. A bit jazzy. From reserved to orchestral flourishes9)Let the Dog Drive Home - Kind of pop sounding at the beginning. Reminds me of Noah & the Whale10) Very Careless People - Kind of a strange sound...almost feels like it should be on a different album.11) When I Had it All - Longing - get's better as it goes along, nice tune. Almost feels like it could be in a Disney film12) All I Remember from Last Night is You - Standout track. Soaring and catchy
