We went to work on Ultimatum during a period where the band was threatening to come apart: most of the original line-up was gone, and before the EP was finished only two of us would remain. The music reflects those confusing times in a couple of ways: most of the songs are explicitly about disaster or dissolution, and the music itself is detailed and melancholy in a way that suggests an inward-turning pursuit of order in the face of a dissolving outside world. Originally intended to be a full-length record (the scope of which is partly revealed in additional songs included on the vinyl version), eventually only four songs made it all the way through. They’re four songs we’re immensely proud of, however.
Tracklisting:
1. The Commander Thinks Aloud
2. Ultimatum
3. Everything is Talking
4. Delicate Hands
5. Bride and Bridle (live)
6. Ultimatum (live)
Vinyl version bonus tracks: Fire Island, AK (Susitna demo) / (It’s a) Departure (Version 1.0) / Clouds (Home demo) / Seven (Litho demo)
Released October 11, 2005
cd-ep: Barsuk Records – BARK48
lp: The Control Group – TCG036
Produced by Tucker Martine and John Roderick.