After The Postmark's self-titled debut last year, the Miami pop trio decided to undertake an intriguing project in which they digitally released a cover song for each month of 2008. Covers in and of themselves aren't particularly groundbreaking, especially for newer bands. But The Postmarks took things a step further by choosing tunes with numbers in their titles to correspond with each month of the year. For January, "One Note Samba" by Antonio Carlos Jobim was chosen. June, the sixth month of the year, was paired with The Cure's "Six Different Ways." And now, for November, the group has settled on Blondie's "11:59."
The singles were available online for much of the year and they've recently been compiled into a sophomore album, appropriately titled By-the-Numbers. There's obviously a familiarity in covers, but don't expect to easily hum along to these 12 right away. They've all been skillfully adapted, with reggae (Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds") and surf rock ("Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" by The Ventures) being turned into the gently sashaying pop gems The Postmarks do so well. And the effect wouldn't be nearly so charming without singer Tim Yehezkely's sweetly innocent vocals (don't be fooled by her name - this Tim is actually a woman).
Music fans will certainly recognize most, if not all, of By-the-Numbers. Hopefully, the project will inspire listeners to also dig into The Postmark's original work, such as their excellent 2007 debut. Any band that turns "Eight Miles High," originally by The Byrds, into an alluring Spaghetti Western piece deserves the extra attention.
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