Anyone who knows me, and my music preferences, knows that I am a huge believer in good music is all about the right time and the right place. I say this to offer an explanation on exactly why Great Lake Swimmer’s Ongiara has been patiently sitting on my “wish list” since its release in May.
Here’s the thing…this disc should’ve been released in January, not May. Let me explain. Great Lake Swimmers are a Canadian folk band. I kinda have this thing about folk music, and that I think folk music can only be truly appreciated in the winter. It’s because of the beard. Proven fact: all great folk music makes you want to abandon the city, flee to the wilderness, become a trapper, sell pelts, and obviously grow a beard. It's science…you can’t debate it.
Back to the disc… GLS are going to remind you of Iron & Wine meet Neil Young meet Sufjan, so to say to expect mellow tracks would be the understatement of the century. Ongiara is chock full ‘o layers of banjos, brush drumming, strings, and falsetto vocals that really weave some great songs that travel and evolve. I zone out when listening to this disc, so doing anything that requires your full attention is a no go. It’s a headphones disc for me. If you don’t get what I mean; grab a book, go outside, sit in the grass, and turn this on…you’ll get it then.
Stand out tracks: Your Rocky Spine – lots of layers that build throughout the entire 3 minutes, Catcher Song – real Sufjan vibe, Put There By The Land – great song that you could listen to all day long, Passenger Song - holy crap, this is a good song
Overall: If you can appreciate a low key disc that isn’t going to get you fired up to do anything physical, except for maybe chop wood, you’ll dig this disc. If you are a strictly upbeat kinda dude that needs happy fun tracks…Ongiara is not for you.
MP3: Great Lake Swimmers - Your Rocky Spine
MP3: Great Lake Swimmers - Put There By The Land
No comments:
Post a Comment