Give Up by The Postal Service

Mailing Hits Across the Country

The United States Postal Service facilitated the collaboration of the talented Benjamin Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello of Death Cab For Cutie and Dntel, respectively. Their process delivered the band's namesake as they iterated on the tracks after being sent by mail on CDs. In under a year, the duo had assembled enough songs to fill their only album, Give Up, and cut and released the album in 2003 with Sub Pop.

The sublime electronic pop that emerged within Give Up has become endeared to many. Gibbard's heartfelt lines and guitar licks and Tamborello's glitchy pop buzz together wonderfully on each track. The album has been honored by remixes as well as excellent covers from the likes of Iron & Wine, The Shins, Ben Folds, and Streetlight Manifesto. Even Apple copied this music video.

In 2013, the album earned a reissue that included two new songs and an accompaniment of B-sides. That year the creative pair reunited for a Postal Service tour but have reaffirmed the statement that Give Up will be The Postal Service's only album. Who sends CDss in the mail anymore anyway?