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 RuthVARIOUS
To Spirit Back the Mews: An Asthmatic Kitty Compilation
PETE AND MAURA KENNEDY
Pete and Maura Kennedy Present: The Stringbusters - Rhapsody in Uke
ERIN MCKEOWN
Sing You Sinners, 2007
TIM O' REAGAN
Tim O' Reagan
MOLINA AND JOHNSON
MOLINA AND JOHNSON
SUFJAN STEVENS
The BQE
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.