Track Listing

1. Longer You Wait, The
2. Barely Losing
3. Montgomery Park
4. (Walter's On The Lam)
5. Through
6. (Postcard From California)
7. Two Broken Hearts
8. Hallway
9. (Postcard Written With A Broken Hand)
10. Post To Wire
11. Polaroid
12. Always On The Ride
13. (Postcard Postmarked Phoenix, AZ)
14. Allison Johnson
15. Willamette
16. Valediction

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84703 in Music
• Released on: 2005-04-26
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
"Post To Wire" was acknowledged as the #4 Album Of The Year by UK magazine Uncut, beating out The Libertines, U2, Interpol, and The Streets, and was labeled "a dark, mesmerizing masterpiece". Willy Vlautin's writing has been compared to that of legendary writer Raymond Carver, and The Replacements are one of the band's most important influences. Look for them on tour this spring, kicking off at South By Southwest.

Mojo
"[W]ith tunes aplenty, their art is very much in the right place."

Customer Reviews

Very Good
Clever and amusing concept having the "Dear Pete" letters peppering this wonderful set of tracks. Post To Wire stands out as the most likable cut, but many others as well. World weary, forlorn, gritty, and occasionally gloomy, but heartfelt songs.

Best in the West
After seeing Willie and the gang live several times, this has to be the best album that RF has put out!! Every show is jammed packed and the album features new songs and tales of the adventures that Willie and the gang experience. ALSO CHECK OUT THE ALBUMS BY GRAND CHAMPEEN OUT OF AUSTIN,TEXAS. THEY TOURED W/ RF THIS SUMMER.

The real deal...
It's not that Richmond Fontaine does anything unique, but that they do it so well. Willy Vlautin's lyrics capture the sadness and beauty in the lives of normal people without sounding trite, while the music accompanies the words with familiar beats and tunes. The band's biggest departure from traditional alt-country is the constant presence of a pedal-steel guitar. This usually works - giving the music the gravity to accompany Vlautin's stories.

Richmond Fontaine is at their best on the album's first two tracks. "The Longer You Wait" paints a remarkably full picture of an estranged couple in only a few lines, while "Barely Losing" accomplishes the same but in showing simple happiness. As for the rest of the album, "Post to Wire" and "Through" would be radio singles in a better world - catchy tunes with accessible and relatively light lyrics. "Polaroid" and "Two Broken Hearts" are sad but strong songs.

Unlike most reviewers here, I don't give 5 stars out very often. "Post to Wire" misses out on a fifth star because of a few missteps where the band strays too far from their strengths by trying to "rock out" or be too moody and mellow. Maybe this works better live (if the band toured more I could tell you), but the album doesn't flow in a way that keeps you from skipping around. Still, two-thirds of the songs here are gems, and it's the best of the many albums I've bought in 2004 so far.