Track Review: The Postal Service – “Turn Around”

Greed is such an ugly emotion; as soon as you have something, you just want more. But The Postal Service never owed anyone anything, never mind a second album. Now, ten years removed from the only record they ever made, the duo of Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello have again become ubiquitous. Not only have they undertaken a massive tour that includes the festival circuit, they’re reissuing the indie landmark, Give Up. “Turn Around” is the second and final new track on the forthcoming reissue, and it is a mellower cut than its predecessor, “Tattered Line of String.” The intro sloshes around with piano, guitar, xylophone and soggy electronics before the speed bag percussion and hiccoughing electronics kick in. It all seems unrelated to begin with, until it doesn’t, and everything collides fabulously. Gibbard’s words are terse and chromatic, and contain perhaps the most portended lyric he has ever written: “Big dreams/False start.” If this is the last song we ever hear from The Postal Service, there are worse things to be remembered for than batting 1.000.