
- Artist/Title: Hinkley - estate sale
- 6
- Format: CD
- Label: Carbon Records
- Price: $10
- Catalog ID: CR125
"In Spring of 2005 Hinkley started working on their latest CD, Estate Sale, with the help of Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah, Clem Snide, Yo La Tengo). Recorded in both Brooklyn and Rochester, the mixing and production duties of the record were split between Adam and Hinkley (Adam mixing half the record remote in Los Angeles and Hinkley mixing the other half in Rochester). Each mix was carefully constructed and well though out, in some cases changes to the arrangement or instrumentation occurred after all the tracks were recorded and mixing was well underway. This approach gives the record a unique feel.
Musically Estate Sale encompasses a wide variety of ideas weaving between country, 60's pop and indie-rock, while still grounded in the distinct sound that has given Hinkley its name." simply put, this is one of the best pop/rock records i've heard in quite some time, and hence, i was compelled to release this CD (joe).
Reviews (4):
Indie Pages
Other than the Goo Goo Dolls (ugh....ok, when they first started out they actually had a kinda cool Ramones sound but what the hell happened ???) Rochester, NY ain’t known for much (and if it is, will someone please tell me ). Then along comes Hinkley....named after either the guy who shot Ronald Reagan (or Jim Hinkley the goofball I went to high school with – I’m guessing the former). The band is led by main guy Will Veedder and ESTATE SALE is full of the kind of melodic Americana that most bands written about in the pages of NO DEPRESSION would kill for. The record starts off with the gentle acoustic of “Hanging Tree” then dives right into the more rockin’/ melodic “Casino” and the record goes back and forth mixing the quieter, gentler tunes with more driving pop tunes. I think my favorite cut is the amazing “Ballerina” with the bouncy piano , jangly guitars and out of nowhere comes this killer blasting trumpet ( some nice trumpet work will always sell daggerboy on a song). Go on and open your door for Hinkley, they might be the best company you’ve ever had. - Dagger
Miles of Music
Estate Sale coolly exposes a wide variety of musical styles, all or which flow gracefully amongst each other while still maintaining a sound to identify as a band called Hinkley. The Rochester, NY group is fronted by songwriter Will Veeder. This surprisingly sublime collection of songs was recorded with the help of Adam Lasus (Clem Snide, Yo La Tengo). Languid alt. country tunes, with traditional strains, fuse into a kind of highly melodic bruised pop that suggests an appreciation for The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Consider an indie-rock ethos, (ala The Shins and Built To Spill) coupled with an eclectic core of Americana, and its easy to hear how comparisons to Sparklehorse and Wilco might arise. -- Robinson - Robinson
Delusions of Adequacy
On their third release and second full-length, the Rochester musicians in Hinkley offer a brilliant album of perfectly produced, stylistically diverse pop music that is sure to find widespread appreciation if given the opportunity. If every city has its band of hard-working artists who cause locals to scratch their heads over why the band hasn’t reached worldwide acclaim, Hinkley is Rochester’s act. Almost an all-star cast of local talent – now with singer/songwriter Gregory Paul on guitar and backing vocals – Hinkley has proved with stellar live shows and the release of Estate Sale that there’s no justice in musical popularity.
Mixed in part by Adam Lasus (it-band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Yo La Tengo), Estate Sale shows the band’s penchant for diverse pop styles, adding melancholy country-tinged ballads to upbeat and insanely catchy pop songs. There’s hints of acts from Neutral Milk Hotel and Guided By Voices to Sparklehorse and Clem Snide, and what makes this album work is how well those styles mix. It doesn’t hurt that the five- or six-member line-up is present in each song, with stellar recording allowing even the most subtle of instrumentation to shine, while the focus still remains on frontman Will Veeder’s vocals and the band’s three-guitar approach.
The album opens with the softly strummed country-tinged melancholy of “Hanging Tree,” featuring hints of keys and harmonica to back up Veeder’s emotive vocals and guitar. It leads into one of the band’s most memorably catchy songs, the surprisingly pretty for being so upbeat “Casino,” which bounces along happily along with backing vocals by Stacey Ackerman. From there, the album does a nice job of mixing the slower, more melancholy ballads and the upbeat, catchy pop songs. “Party on the Sun” is a pretty song, with gently picked guitars and a country-styled rhythm, while it’s followed by the can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head “Ballerina,” one of those toe-tapping, head-bobbing pop songs that stick with you for weeks. Local artist Darren Dewispelaere (Veluxe) adds trumpet to the mix for a nice touch.
There’s a few timeless songs here that are sure to end up on some mix CDs. “Where the River Meets the Sea” feels like a timeless country/folk song given a more modern rock approach. “Mary Lincoln” is a pleasantly mid-tempo track, poppy but also nicely restrained and rich with deep bass, piano, and sweet backing vocals. Then you have the brilliantly up-beat and rocking “Build Me Something in the Sky,” filled with edgy guitars and a fast beat contrasted with a sweet chorus. It’s like a cross between Polyphonic Spree and Built to Spill, perhaps. The up-tempo “She Loves the Sun” takes a similar approach for perhaps the most rocking track on the album. And one of the album’s most memorable moments is the glorious “Horse of the Wood,” featuring gorgeous, booming drums, the album’s best vocals, and a deeply emotional feel. That being said, my favorite track here is “Memory in My Heart,” a staple of the band’s live shows, which is incredibly rich in sound and perhaps the band’s most catchy song yet. Even the “ooo-eee-ooo-eee-ooo” from backing vocals feels fitting to this sweet and bouncy pop song, which has surprisingly edgy guitars for being so poppy.
Previous Hinkley releases and incredible live shows convinced me that Estate Sale couldn’t live up to my expectations. I was wrong. This album has been on near constant rotation in my collection, and each listen gives me a new favorite song to hit replay or move into a new playlist. The band spent more than a year working on this release, and it’s evident in the recording quality, the tracking, and the perfect songwriting. This one’s sure to hold a high spot on my best-of lists for 2006, and I couldn’t recommend it any higher. - Jeff Marsh
City Newspaper
With the familiar, downtempo strum-strum-strum that opens Estate Sale, it appears as if Hinkley leader and principle songwriter Will Veeder is about to lead the band down the same melancholy path it explored with such lustrous results on the band’s 2004 release, Frail and Poker Faced. Anyone familiar with Veeder’s previous work in Hinkley and the now-defunct Muler can attest to Veeder’s unparalleled gift for wresting beauty from sadness. This time, as if sensing that lightning might not strike in the same spot twice, Veeder devotes about half the album to Muler-styled upbeat pop. The band --- a veritable all-star lineup of local talent --- switches gears between trademark Hinkley Americana and British mod rock with rubbery grace. One piece even delves into abstract jazz in a loose jam that nonetheless demonstrates the band’s cohesion. Honorable mentions go to recurring guests Stacey Ackerman on vocals and Darren Dewispelaere on trumpet. - Saby Reyes-Kulkarni

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