Bandwagonesque

For fans of the original, Gibbard’s Bandwagonesque should be a nice, unsurprising treat; for fans of Gibbard’s who may not be familiar with the original’s charms, hopefully it’ll be a way in.

The best songs on Gibbard's tribute illuminate something new or codify what was essentially great about the original. Sometimes he even manages to do both, while essentially offering up slavishly executed re-creations of the original tracks.

What’s most striking about Bandwagonesque, though, is how tenderly Gibbard’s treated it; this is undoubtedly the sound of somebody very much in love with the source material.

Over the course of the album's 12 songs, while its arrangements don't differ strongly (or really at all) from the ones used on the original work, it's Gibbard's warm, empathetic, and instantly recognizable voice that immediately identifies this as not only his work but one that can stand up to and be differentiated from the original.

Too often known as the other album released in 1991, Bandwagonesque is ripe for reappraisal, and Gibbard’s album-length cover certainly gives plenty of reasons to do so. It’s an act of appreciation that overcomes any aspect of mere novelty and stands proudly on its own.