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 RuthSUFJAN STEVENS
The BQE
Well-Known Strangers
ALIGNED
Girlyman
Little Star
THE INDIGO GIRLS
Poseidon and the Bitter Bug
Caroline Herring
Lantana
Various Artists
Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo
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