hallowed oak (happily family records)
the numbering of the top albums list really is somewhat of a meaningless triviality. any of the albums on the list could have been number one. hallowed oak coming in first is kind of like a freshman winning the heisman trophy. it probably should never happen, but newness often holds an extra attraction. this self-titled album just happened to match my moods the most and influence my life for three straight months.
most of what i know about hallowed oak comes from a thirty second conversation standing in line behind the singer waiting to use the bathroom. they are a seven piece, though i only saw two, who moved from fort collins to boise in the middle of summer just as their debut album was being released. the most amount of information known about the band seems to be the names and instruments of the rotating cast of seven musicians on their bandcamp site. the only other thing i know is that collin ingam’s website is suspended. if you can find anything more about the band, please do let me know.
the seven piece band is used extremely economically. the structures are basic and mostly soft, making the album relaxing. but the crafty mix is what makes this album. the pieces are layered in a way that gives a feeling of walking through a maze. the songs sound as though they recorded themselves, either that or the band has a well-seasoned studio tech. i don’t like to compare bands and albums to others the way promoters always do, but this album is clearly from another time. it sounds about forty years old, like some early 70s recording where nick drake joined big star. the closest thing to today would maybe be mid 90s smog. i don’t know, but that’s some testament to how focused this album’s production is
the production results for the listener creates something somewhat like starting from a trailhead in the foothills, thinking you might want to hike to the summit, only getting easily distracted by the first river you cross. The album holds an eager anticipation, and grinds upward, but then revels in its own mission content with encountering a glacial runoff that turns into a crystal clear river.
the intro notes of anything personal suggest tension about to explode. but the band really makes you wait for it. lyrically, the first four songs seem to be the travelogues of a wandering soul, dealing with the loss of love the songs are somewhat self-introspective, singing to a foreboding. this leads to not worrying about the loss. but don’t worry, this is not an emo thing.
next autumn is the where the wanderer has found his answer. it is also the most powerful song on the album. the power of having gotten to the end of the week, to the holidays, some time off work, going assuredly down the road. that’s the content and the strength level of the song. you will sing it over and over. it makes you forget about the explosion that seemed eminent from the beginning. muscle music, then, is a surprise rock song by the time hallowed oak gets to it, but it doesn't deviate from the journey’s lesson in retelling the stories of the wanderer. oh glory is the most complex of the arrangements. the sounds are sweet and bubbly, holding the promise of better times. somewhat of a precursor, because, though the wanderer has found a temporary reprieve in the penultimate track three words, he’s still find himself taking too much time even if he seems to have collected himself.
i am not the biggest fan of love stories, but hallowed oak paints a picture with the right colors, and are certainly open and honest. the story also transcends being about love at all. it calls for numerous listens, but for the story part of it, the end needs to be listened to more because the last three tracks aren't too clear about an ending. this album brings to mind the last time i was so excited about a large orchestral band’s first album. that was buffalo death beam, but they broke up before a second album. hallowed oak can’t break up, they still have a story to finish.
most of what i know about hallowed oak comes from a thirty second conversation standing in line behind the singer waiting to use the bathroom. they are a seven piece, though i only saw two, who moved from fort collins to boise in the middle of summer just as their debut album was being released. the most amount of information known about the band seems to be the names and instruments of the rotating cast of seven musicians on their bandcamp site. the only other thing i know is that collin ingam’s website is suspended. if you can find anything more about the band, please do let me know.
the seven piece band is used extremely economically. the structures are basic and mostly soft, making the album relaxing. but the crafty mix is what makes this album. the pieces are layered in a way that gives a feeling of walking through a maze. the songs sound as though they recorded themselves, either that or the band has a well-seasoned studio tech. i don’t like to compare bands and albums to others the way promoters always do, but this album is clearly from another time. it sounds about forty years old, like some early 70s recording where nick drake joined big star. the closest thing to today would maybe be mid 90s smog. i don’t know, but that’s some testament to how focused this album’s production is
the production results for the listener creates something somewhat like starting from a trailhead in the foothills, thinking you might want to hike to the summit, only getting easily distracted by the first river you cross. The album holds an eager anticipation, and grinds upward, but then revels in its own mission content with encountering a glacial runoff that turns into a crystal clear river.
the intro notes of anything personal suggest tension about to explode. but the band really makes you wait for it. lyrically, the first four songs seem to be the travelogues of a wandering soul, dealing with the loss of love the songs are somewhat self-introspective, singing to a foreboding. this leads to not worrying about the loss. but don’t worry, this is not an emo thing.
next autumn is the where the wanderer has found his answer. it is also the most powerful song on the album. the power of having gotten to the end of the week, to the holidays, some time off work, going assuredly down the road. that’s the content and the strength level of the song. you will sing it over and over. it makes you forget about the explosion that seemed eminent from the beginning. muscle music, then, is a surprise rock song by the time hallowed oak gets to it, but it doesn't deviate from the journey’s lesson in retelling the stories of the wanderer. oh glory is the most complex of the arrangements. the sounds are sweet and bubbly, holding the promise of better times. somewhat of a precursor, because, though the wanderer has found a temporary reprieve in the penultimate track three words, he’s still find himself taking too much time even if he seems to have collected himself.
i am not the biggest fan of love stories, but hallowed oak paints a picture with the right colors, and are certainly open and honest. the story also transcends being about love at all. it calls for numerous listens, but for the story part of it, the end needs to be listened to more because the last three tracks aren't too clear about an ending. this album brings to mind the last time i was so excited about a large orchestral band’s first album. that was buffalo death beam, but they broke up before a second album. hallowed oak can’t break up, they still have a story to finish.
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