For those of you just joining us, let me give you a little background before we go much further. This website is named after a song by the Brooklyn band, Bishop Allen. After releasing one of my favorite albums, 2003’s Charm School, the band got quiet for a little bit. Then, last month they announced that they’d be putting out an EP every month during 2006–leading up to the eventual release of their second album Clementines. Among other things, the January EP surprised many fans by including a piano into the mix. But as much as it surprised them, it must have pleased as well. After all, the band have almost sold out of their limited 1000-copy pressing. Now the band have upped both their pressing (2000 this time) and my expectations with the February EP.

MP3: Bishop Allen - Vain
Bishop Allen would have to try very hard to compose a better returning-to-form song than this. Kicking off with Christian Rudder’s signature treble-filled guitar, “Vain” will most likely find a happy home with new and old fans alike. Diehards might recognize most of the lyrics in this song as having once belonged to the BA tune “One By One.” And as they’ve altered the song, so too has the message changed.

“Vain” is packed with the very sort of vivid metaphors that make Bishop Allen songs worth hanging on to. With an angel “tethered to the tip of her finger,” the girl in the song ponders a few things about life. Luckily for her, her angel is there to serenade and suffer for her. But, as you might expect from a Bishop Allen song, good things can’t last forever. The end of the song prepares us for the inevitable: the angel’s escape, and her eventual breakdown. Sometimes it hurts to take an honest look at your life.

Musically, this song jumps back and forth between being one of their best, and and little bit of a let down. The verses are well-written and catchy; but the chorus feels like it could have been better. Each one gets three cries of ‘vain’ to drive the point home. However, I can’t help but feel that a band like Bishop Allen–one known for creating some of the most memorable choruses in recent memory–could have used a trick or two to enhance the refrain just a bit. Even so, the song’s still among the best I’ve heard all year. I hope these guys find a suitable label soon. I’d hate for all their work to have been in vain (ed note: sorry, couldn’t resist).

Buy February for only $5 (incl S/H)

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