Autumn of the Seraphs is the second release from Pinback in a series of seasonal album titles, following 2004’s Summer in Abaddon. Whether or not the next record will include winter or spring in its title is up in the air, but multi-instrumentalist Zach Smith seemed to think it would be “kind of dumb to stop now.”
After hearing Autumn of the Seraphs, it would be dumb if Zach Smith and Rob Crow stopped making music together. One of the things that make the new album stand out from its predecessors is all new songs of course, but also the use of a live drummer during the recording process that, ironically, was told to play like the drum machine tracks the duo had already mapped out.
The boys in Pinback create a sound that is fluid, complex, and layered with guitar and bass that interweaves like ivy on a trellis.
Zach explains, “When we’re writing songs, it’s just random, you know? As far as lyrics and stuff, that usually comes after the fact. We usually have a bass line or there might be a guitar part that Rob has. The worst thing is when you have a bunch of boundaries. We just kind of go with the flow.”
Perhaps it is that Zen-like mentality that has given many Pinback fans the illusion that Rob is a Jedi Knight in numerous forums and fan sites. Zach laughs when I ask about the reference.
“I think the whole thing with Star Wars…he’s just a fanatic. That’s all. He takes it to a new level for sure.”
The release date for Autumn of the Seraphs was September 11, 2007, and like everything else of which he spoke, Zach was positive about the whole thing. “When I heard that was the day that Touch and Go wanted to release it, I definitely was bummed. Then I looked at it in the light of ‘well, shit, we can’t feel bad about that day; we’ve got to move on and release something that we think is good and make it a good day.’ That’s how I look at it.”
– Gen Wolff