OR, THE WHALE

Self-Titled

2009-08-08

This is the second album from the San Francisco seven-piece outfit, Or, the Whale. I find it to be a bit more "countryfied" than their first album, "Light Poles and Pines". This album of sometimes rocking, folk-country does have some good things to offer, such as nice production and vocal harmonies. Besides your basic guitar, drums, and vocals, Or, the Whale's brand of Americana also features dobro, pedal steel guitar and banjo. Most of the songs here are somewhat Starland Vocal Band-sounding in their country-pop harmonies. The more rocking songs are the album opener, "No Love Blues", the haunting "Keep Me Up", and the Jefferson Airplane-ish "Black Rabbit". Rebecca Ruth

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #Folk

  • reviewed 06/2010

    PETE BERNHARD
    Straight Line

  • reviewed 11/2010

    NATASHA BORZILOVA
    Balancing Act

  • reviewed 02/2007

    MARTHA SCANLAN
    The West Was Burning

  • reviewed 04/2007

    Todd Snider
    Peace, Love and Anarchy (Rarities, B-Sides and Demos, Vol. 1)

  • reviewed 03/2008

    Joel Mabus
    Retold

  • reviewed 05/2007

    Neil Young
    Live at Massey Hall, 1971

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.