Love Life
"Here is Night, Brothers, Here the Birds Burn"
(Jagjaguwar Records)

I can tell you what it's not, before I can tell you what it is. It's not pop, and it's not really rock. It's not quite Goth, but almost, and it's not romantic. I would tell what the songs were about lyrically, but I can barely understand the words, due to some form of cathartic grunting and/or a delay/reverb attached to her voice that is reminiscent of the Shackshakers. With the exception, of course that the Shackshakers are all about Psychobilly, and Love Life is definitely not. It's a good thing that the words are in the liner notes.
There are some interesting pieces to this record, though. The strings are beautifully arranged and recorded, and the drum parts are pretty spectacular. It has a definitive low-fi sound that provides that insta-indie cred, but in all honesty, it lacks a real fluidity, and all of the songs sound the same.
Sean Antainitis seems to be the major talent here. No shredding guitar or calypso-esque organ, but simple and effective part structure and string arrangements let you believe the songs were thought out at one point by him. This is most likely for those jam band fans that just got hooked on heroin and black clothes, and can't find a way to the High Sierra Festival.