The Rosebuds - Birds Make Good Neighbors

The Rosebuds have come up with another melodic and tender release in Birds Make Good Neighbors, and there will be a few songs that might just stick in your head for a good long while. The sparkling single “Boxcar” is probably one of my favorite songs of the past year; “Outnumbered” is an exemplary example of the duo’s sense of what makes a catchy chorus; and album-closer “4-Track Love Song” is a sparsely worded masterpiece of smoky sensuality. The Rosebuds inevitably stumble a little in the middle with “The Lovers’ Rights,” a tune that struggles to be catchy, but fails due to flat vocals and lackluster music, while “Blue Bird” has none of the energy shown at the beginning and the end of the disc. The overall effect leads the album to become just slightly saccharine. While Birds Make Good Neighbors may not be completely satisfying from start to finish, there are enough gems to make it a worthwhile addition to the music collection of anyone who enjoys good songwriting. [www.therosebuds.com]