Spring Break
Band provides relaxing, intriguing folk experiences
review
Addley Fannin
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: ARTS & LIFE
Students feeling the stress of upcoming finals may find some relief in the relaxing yet interesting, folk music of new band Port O'Brien
The band's first album, All We Could Do Was Sing, provides just under a dozen tracks of thoughtful, intriguing music that are not easily placed in any traditional genre.
The members of Port O'Brien spend their summers working in fishing boats, bakeries and canneries in Alaska, which is where most of their music is written. The unique setting for their creative process gives the band a nice, organic sound that is accurately self-described as "vaguely folk-ish."
While the twangy guitar, percussion banjo and pots and pans in the band certainly give the music a folk feeling, the music itself is definitely influenced by soft rock and modern country.
The combination of influences is smooth and, when combined with the interesting lyrics, makes the songs intriguing without being overbearing.
The music is calming and just energetic enough to keep the listener awake, making the album good for blocking out the rest of the world while studying without driving the listener to restlessness or distraction.
In fact, if the band drops the ball on anything, it's that the group's tone is somewhat lazy all around, even on some numbers that would otherwise be energetic and upbeat.
Despite the album's title, the singing is often underscored, as though it is accompaniment for the music instead of the other way around. This makes it hard to understand some of the lyrics, which is a shame because the songs are very deep and contemplative reflections on nature, destiny and the lives of normal people in a still-rugged area where most will never go.
Though most of the band's creative process takes place in Alaska, the members actually got together on the California coast, where songwriters Van Pierzalowski and Cambria Goodwin met. They would later add a rhythm section to their number with Caleb Nichols and Joshua Barnart.
Many of the band's songs are heavily influenced by their group experiences in Alaska, such as "In Vino Veritas," a song about isolation. Other numbers, such as "Fisherman's Son" and "Stuck on a Boat," reflect on Pierzalowski's summers spent on his father's commercial fishing boat, often going for weeks without a chance to go to port and compare notes with his fellow songwriters.
All in all, this album should make for good studying accompaniment or for unwinding after finals are over. The lyrics are very deep and deserve extra attention when time allows for it.
All We Could Do Was Sing will be released May 13.
The band's first album, All We Could Do Was Sing, provides just under a dozen tracks of thoughtful, intriguing music that are not easily placed in any traditional genre.
The members of Port O'Brien spend their summers working in fishing boats, bakeries and canneries in Alaska, which is where most of their music is written. The unique setting for their creative process gives the band a nice, organic sound that is accurately self-described as "vaguely folk-ish."
While the twangy guitar, percussion banjo and pots and pans in the band certainly give the music a folk feeling, the music itself is definitely influenced by soft rock and modern country.
The combination of influences is smooth and, when combined with the interesting lyrics, makes the songs intriguing without being overbearing.
The music is calming and just energetic enough to keep the listener awake, making the album good for blocking out the rest of the world while studying without driving the listener to restlessness or distraction.
In fact, if the band drops the ball on anything, it's that the group's tone is somewhat lazy all around, even on some numbers that would otherwise be energetic and upbeat.
Despite the album's title, the singing is often underscored, as though it is accompaniment for the music instead of the other way around. This makes it hard to understand some of the lyrics, which is a shame because the songs are very deep and contemplative reflections on nature, destiny and the lives of normal people in a still-rugged area where most will never go.
Though most of the band's creative process takes place in Alaska, the members actually got together on the California coast, where songwriters Van Pierzalowski and Cambria Goodwin met. They would later add a rhythm section to their number with Caleb Nichols and Joshua Barnart.
Many of the band's songs are heavily influenced by their group experiences in Alaska, such as "In Vino Veritas," a song about isolation. Other numbers, such as "Fisherman's Son" and "Stuck on a Boat," reflect on Pierzalowski's summers spent on his father's commercial fishing boat, often going for weeks without a chance to go to port and compare notes with his fellow songwriters.
All in all, this album should make for good studying accompaniment or for unwinding after finals are over. The lyrics are very deep and deserve extra attention when time allows for it.
All We Could Do Was Sing will be released May 13.
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