The Posies - Success

This was the last Posies album before they "broke up." I put the term in quotes because they were still releasing albums (of live and/or previously recorded material, but still) and playing sporadic reunion shows before finally reuniting officially and releasing new music. So yeah, this album was at least the end of an era if not the ultimate end of the band itself.

I guess it's not surprising that this album isn't that good. By the time they broke up, The Posies were already being pulled in different directions. Ken Stringfellow had already recorded and released his first solo effort and Jon Auer was working with a new band on his solo music, which wouldn't see the light of day for another couple years. The other guys in the band never seemed of consequence or concern to anyone, which must have been frustrating. It's no surprise that this "final" album sounds like it's being pulled in different directions as well. How could it not?

The songwriting on this album doesn't stand up to the songs on previous Posies outings. Of course there are some nice songs like "Farewell Typewriter" on the disc, but much of the rest of the album seems to say, "We're tired of doing this, are you tired of hearing it yet?" I don't intend to paint Success as a failure, but there is a palpable tension on the record as well as a lack of focus. It isn't a great record, but it's not bad for a band that was falling apart.