The title of New Buffalo's album is clearly a contradiction in terms; a ten track collection of pop rock delight like this one, evidences a brimming pocketful of beautiful days its listener can look forward to. Sally Seltmann is the lynchpin of New Buffalo, an Aussie prone to marvelous, addictive songs of love and separation. A few tracks into the album, it is clear the shimmering star is none other than Seltmann's bedroom voice and cute lyrical sensibilities. One can't help but melt at her paean to monogamy in "I've Got You And You've Got Me" or "Yes," a memorable, titillating song that sends shivers to the very core.
Seltmann's album, The Last Beautiful Day was released in her native country, then later in Canada, and now in the United States, an epic journey for an album recorded more than two years ago in summer of 2003. Seltmann writes and plays all the instruments on the record, a mélange of Stereolab/Camera Obscura styled pop leaning toward the intimate and melancholic progressive song writing mien. Whatever quibbles one might have with New Buffalo they are bound to be inconsequential; perhaps one might say the album is too short, or too strongly engineered toward its chanteuse. Otherwise, Seltmann single-handedly sits on point of a complete, mature record. For fans of Beth Orton (who sings back up on "Inside") or Britta Phillips, The Last Beautiful Day was a spawn of their most gentle, timid fantasies. |