Black Whales – Origins (Music Review)
By Andrew Gable • Sep 25th, 2009 • Category: CategoriesBlack Whales
Origins EP
Mt Fuji Records
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
At first listen, I couldn’t get the phrase “jangly alt-pop” out of my head, although there is a lot more going on at second (and ninth and fifteenth) listen. All of the songs fall between three and four minutes long, allowing them to squeeze a lot of great music into the 7-song EP.
The Black Whales have a fantastic sound. The production is bright and poppy, the guitars are stuck on reverb, the bass is bouncy but not overpowering, and the drums are peppy and well-timed. Guitarist and singer, Alex Robert, has a voice that reminds me of Scott Thomas from his California LP: sweet, clean, and talented, if somewhat limited in range. Often a limited vocal range is usually a drawback in alt-pop that can make or break a band’s “sound,” but that isn’t the case here. It all reminds me of a tight pub band that is ready to move on to something much, much bigger.
Other influences show up on Origins upon close inspection. Elements of the Replacements, the Strokes, Archers of Loaf, and a dash of Elvis Costello for flavor as well. These influences don’t, at first glance, seem to be all that well connected, but on Origins it works very well. There is a definite Doors influence (or would that be more accurately a “moderate borrowing?”) on the track “Origins,” with its slow, driving melody and phrasing. Other great tracks to check out on the EP are: “Books on Tape,” a 4-minute melodic rock tune about a grown-up view of relationships and “Running in Place,” a great poppy tune about letting young people be young. Also, “Roll with the Punches” has a great drum breakdown at around 2:34. This all being said, none of the tracks are anything less than “very good” if you like jangly reverb alternative music. I certainly hope to hear more from these boys in the future.
This EP makes me happy to see that the Seattle sound was not completely corrupted by the money machine that swept through in the early ’90s.
The final verdict? Its going on my iPod, no question about it.
Links:
Black Whales Home Site: http://blackwhales.com/blog
Black Whales on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/blackwhales
Mt Fuji Records Site: http://www.mtfujirecords.com/
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.3MB)
Andrew Gable is a 30-something journalism student in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has played in a few local bands and is an avid collector of music. Outside of sharing his opinion with many people who don’t ask for it, he can be found drawing, skateboarding, and drinking copious amounts of coffee at local coffee establishments.
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