This album is pretty damn mature for a debut. The number of layers of effects and instrumentation present is truly impressive for being orchestrated by two guys who first met a year and a half ago. Of course, without the necessary trumpet and cello, The Dust Of Retreat would be dangerously close to emo. But, thankfully, they are there and elevate the standing of this album to something like a cleaner, Camper Van Beethoven-depressive rock effort. That said, the lyrics of twenty-something Richard Edwards are not that profound, and the symphony of folk that Andy Fry and the rest of the collective So And So's produce is a little cheesier than deeply moving or contagiously grooving... I guess making them So-So's instead. Yet the arrangements and production do show a lot of promise. If given enough time to grow as musicians and human beings, they may have a classic in them. The Dust Of Retreat isn't it, but it's a solid start.
1. A Sea Chantey Of Sorts
2. Skeleton Key
3. Vampires In Blue Dresses
4. Quiet As A Mouse
5. Jen Is Bringin' The Drugs
6. Dress Me Like A Clown
7. On A Freezing Chicago Street
8. Paper Kitten Nightmare
9. Barfight Revolution, Power Violence
10. A Light On A Hill
11. Talking In Code
12. Bookworm
More about: Margot & The Nuclear So And So's
