Special delivery, first class from California.

It’s 11am in LA and Dntel’s electro-meister, Jimmy Tamborello, has just popped out for a restorative “Zen Berry smoothie”. Left holding the fort is his Postal Service collaborator Ben Gibbard, frontman for Washington guitar-pop band, Death Cab For Cutie, who tries to shed light on the odd, long-distance partnership that gave the duo their name.

“This project’s neat because we both only do what we like to do best. Jimmy could programme songs all night long and I could write lyrics forever,” he says. “I'd just get a package in the mail and it was like, oh cool, new songs.”

The two first worked together when Tamborello - a long-time fan of Gibbard’s voice - asked him to work on a song for Dntel’s Life Is Full Of Possibilities LP. The song, The Dream Of Evan And Chan, was so good that Sub Pop offered them a joint record deal.

Most songwriting partnerships are long-term affairs, it’s unusual that two people who both come from distinctly different musical backgrounds – and hardly know each other – could create an album as cohesive and lovely as their debut, Give Up. But Gibbard explains there was a meeting of minds: “We were both just really big pop fans. We wanted to make something catchy and not apologise for it,” he says excitedly. “There have been people that have said, ‘This is just the sappiest, sugary-est, gayest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.’ But for me it’s, like, well that’s what we wanted to do.”

Although Give Up grumbles with a melancholy darkness, it also glimmers with hope. Gibbard’s gentle vocals and thoughtful lyrics float gently over Tamborello’s snappy, bleeping electronica and the result is beautifully bright.

When Tamborello returns, mellowed by his fruit injection, he agrees they shared a vision for the album, but admits the first couple of tracks he received from Gibbard took time to get into. “When you’re just writing the music, you come up with your own vocal melodies. But Ben’s ideas were totally different.”

This clash of perspectives is what lends Give Up its unique sound - the two never discussed how tracks would turn out. “It’s kind of nice,” says Tamborello. “It’s like you’re listening to half of some totally different song. I can listen to it twice as much and not get sick of it.” Which has to be a good thing. “Yeah, it’s nice,” he continues. “Especially ‘cos you don’t get to use the mail that often anymore.” Alexia Loundras 25 April 03

Postal Service – Give up released 28 April 03 on Sub Pop

useful link: sub pop: postal service