It took me awhile to appreciate Washington. I got their album "A new order rising" quite some time ago and initially wrote it off as generic mid-tempo melancholy. Y'know, that whole bloated genre populated by bands like Kent, Coldplay, Doves and countless others following in their wake? How much of that stuff do we need, right? But when I heard that Glitterhouse had licensed the record for a full European release (due out June 27), I figured I should probably give 'em another shot. So of course I went back and revisited it and found out my initial opinion was premature. There is a lot to like about this band, it's just that the record is really mellow and subtle, so it can take awhile to connect. For instance, the song I'm posting today is about as uptempo as these guys get. They spend a lot of time in more of an ethereal/folky mode and that doesn't always make for gripping listening experience. Yeah, they borrow quite a bit from Radiohead and Travis, but I think they add enough of their own touches to make it worthwhile. I especially like the use of pedal steel and what I believe is 12-string guitar on this track. Good stuff.