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 09/2008

    Rodney Crowell
    Sex and Gasoline

  • reviewed 06/2011

    THE BOXER REBELLION
    The Cold Still

  • reviewed 12/1969

    Jon Foreman
    Fall/Winter EPs

  • reviewed 12/1969

    NEIL YOUNG
    Sugar Mountain Live At Canterbury House 1968

  • reviewed 04/2007

    GREG BROWN
    Yellow Dog

  • reviewed 10/2003

    Matthew Ryan
    Regret Over the Wires

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.