When I got an email from Jesse about their CD (coming out on March 4th) a week or so a go, the first thought going through my head was: How is it possible that These United States are only now releasing their first full-length record?
But I guess that is what happens when you are one of the hardest touring bands in DC.
But here we have it, “There’s a Picture of the Three of Us at the Gate to the Garden of Eden!” something you can hold in your hands. it’s beautiful, so real, so tangible. it makes us feel all warm and hot inside. we hope it makes you feel the same and instead of a big, fat, splashy weekend CD release show @ The Cat or something, Jesse and the DC band that feels most like a family of all DC bands, is planning a celebration tonight in their headquarters: at the monthly Federal Reserve Showcase at Iota.
You should come through.
To see them, buy them a congratulatory shot of whiskey (or 4) and say Hi and maybe Bye before they ship off on their 33 city tour in a few days (including a Daytrotter session, the big DC showcase at SXSW, as well as some other onese with Evangelicals and Raveonettes and….who can really keep track? The thing you need to know is, things are happening and happening fast)

And before all that, we had Jesse (who has written a terrifically entertaining thing or two for us in the past the when asked) to preview some songs from the album for you.
Listen, and be sort of ready to shed a tear midday while you listen.
Its ok, it happens.

First Sight - it’s a Love song. it’s about all Love, every kind, every flavor of it, from the beginning of time to the end. man, I hate love songs. especially pretentious ones. but some times you just gotta look the Beast in the eyes, y’know? besides, it’s mostly imaginary. it’s someone sitting on a couch imagining all the love that ever happened, and how it’s gonna happen, all over again, right this instant, all of it, ever, again, and probably again and again, to him or her or them or whoever’s in that room, across from that couch. so it’s all imagined. so it’s not really a Love song.

Kings & Aces - ooooo. this is very Ominous. it’s about the Forest, really. which is the other part of the world other than the Garden. which is where First Sight kinda starts us off. but then K&A drags us kicking and screaming back into the Forest, with lots of scary Ideas. so, it’s also about Love.

Burn This Bridge - this is a song about Burning Love Down. about how to get rid of love once it’s been crossed. you can hear a lot of drunk people yelling about that at one point in the song. that was fun, when we did that. we all went to Josh Read’s living room, and set up a bunch of microphones everywhere, and everyone just started yelling and whooping, over and over again, time after time, hoarser and hoarser, more drunk and drunker, dumb and dumber, which approximates that kind of giddy over-the-top feeling that Love gives you. once you burn it down.

Slow Crows Over - this songs was recorded nowhere near Josh Read’s drunk living room, but is basically about that. some guy from the Independent Weekly in Durham really nailed this song, so I won’t belabor the point. it’s already Out There, loosed in the world of ideas. if someone wants more ideas about that, they can chase it down. for now we’ll just say it’s a song about all of us.

So High So Low So Wide So Long - this song’s not about Love! thank God! it’s sort of about the disorienting effects of a Universe Without Love. oh, shit. there we go again. it doesn’t have to be about that. let’s just say it’s about Jonah. being inside a whale, and spending yr whole Life Blood Sweat and Tears trying to hack yr way out. and then you get out, and all you find is the Ocean. which is many ways is infinitely scarier than the Whale.

all photos: Shervinfoto

want more

befriend them on myspace
go to the show tonight
and you know, buy this album tomorrow.

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