Search - Long River Train :: Arguments for Drinking

There's really only two good reasons for low fidelity (lo-fi) recording: financial constraints or the combination of intimacy and immediacy that four (or eight) tracks can give an artist. Long River Train's Sean Thompson, who recorded Arguments for Drinking in producer Bob Smith's NYC apartment, offers another reason: "Marshall stacks are, historically, lease-breakers." Thompson's sublime Arguments sounds like an unplugged Varnaline with a Nebraska-era Springsteen tinge (fitting, as all three members of Varnaline guest here, though never all on the same song). Thompson's lyrics remain pointed throughout; "Envious" is notable for "I remember drinking New Year's morning/yeah, I really lost control/well that won't happen this year/they moved me up to Tegratol." The rest of the album chronicles relationships with a sensitivity that transcends recording technique. "The First" is a tale of understanding from a guy who's just found a picture of his girl's last boyfriend, while "Misgivings" explores the temptation of trying to turn a platonic relationship into something more. --Randy Silver