Grandaddy - Sumday 2LP (Indie Exclusive White Vinyl)

20th anniversary salute to their breakthrough third LP, 2003’s Sumday. Three years after the critically acclaimed The Sophtware Slump, Grandaddy returned with Sumday, which actually sounds more like a "sophtware slump" than their previous effort did. Like The Sophtware Slump, on Sumday the band attempts to reconcile the technological with the personal, both musically and lyrically. Several of the songs seem inspired by the rise and fall of the dotcoms and the Silicon Valley; this could have been a great opportunity for some interesting musical commentary, which is why it's so disappointing that the results are bland and complacent. Musically, the album's mix of chugging, fuzzy guitars; sparkly synths; and tinny drum machines is pleasant enough -- it's a mix of country-rock, soft rock, and new wave that suggests what a collaboration between Gram Parsons and the Alan Parsons Project might sound like.