Mike Hale
Lives Like Mine
Suburban Home
8/10

Lately I’ve felt like an aging punk, preferring comfortable quiet versus aural anarchy and feel soooo lame. Then shit like Mike Hale’s album Lives Like Mine comes out and makes me feel like I am not alone in enjoying non-punk things like, you know, production value and pianos. Lives Like Mine is beautiful, meaningful and depressing as hell. This is the equivalent of sonic Quaaludes. Gorgeous finger-picking arpeggios and slow, minimalistic piano harmonies compliment and enhance Hale’s heartbroken vocals. “Losing Ground” is a perfect example of how sweeping pianos and Hale’s crooning can send shivers down your spine. Or… just put your ass to sleep.

–Jonathan Yost