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Hailing from southern Florida, The Postmarks is a trio consisting of two ex-Stereolab members Christopher Moll and Jonathan Wilkins, along with singer Tim Yehezkely. Their sounds are a fusion of many things: indie, chamber rock and alternative. It is a bit like a mix between Camera Obscura and Pipas, an ethereal sounding voice and atmospheric music while still remaining upbeat.

Their new album By-the-Numbers, is a collection of covers ranging from the likes of Ministry and Bob Marley. They pull off their whimsical and otherworldly sound even while singing songs that were originally reggae or punk.

One very impressive thing about this album is that they are able to retain their signature sound while still singing the songs of other artists.

The most impressive track on the album is the Bob Marley classic “Three Little Birds.” Although not as optimistic as the original, The Postmarks effectively take this upbeat song and make it their own. They turn it into a mournful, almost regretful ballad. Their version of “11:59” by Blondie is also very well done.

Their cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “You Only Live Twice,” a one time Bond theme, is beautiful and elegant where as “Nine Million Rainy Days” is a wonderfully done variation of the Jesus and Mary Chain song.  

The one and major problem with this album is how repetitive it is. Though The Postmarks are able to bring their own sound to each cover that they do, it does all end up sounding the same.

It begins to feel like an album that is almost their own creation, even while the listener understands it is just a collection of songs that they are covering.