Strand of Oaks - HEAL
HEAL
Strand of Oaks
Tiger Rating: 8.0 / 10
Americana / Electronic
There is a space between melancholy and wistfulness, between rage and regret, between resignation and the desire to move forward. This space usually comes at a certain age or with a certain amount of maturity. It's like looking back on the past through whiskey fogged goggles. Multi-instrumentalist and some time genius Timothy Showalter explores that complex terrain on 'HEAL'.
Having started out with a shoe-gazey, neo folk acoustic thrust (2009's 'Leave Ruin' remains one of my all time favourite albums), Strand of Oaks, like all great artists, has transformed. At a time when the industry is swallowing folk and guitar driven with a hunger that seemingly cannot be satiated, 'Strand of Oaks' have ducked down a dark alley - one where relentless, pulsing synths rub up against gritty, Mellencamp-esque guitars. 'HEAL', rather than casting a golden, sentimental light on his past, casts Showalter's youth without any Instagram filters or trite happy endings. If this album was a path of actual healing, Tim is getting there by getting it all out. He casts off the cloak of acoustic depression almost entirely. It's far from uplifting, but perhaps the occasional bouts of rage and swift fury is better than hanging your gloriously bearded head in shame.
When celebrated indie duo Tegan & Sara released their last synth heavy album, their fans declared the party over. When hippie wunderkinds Maps & Atlases started writing songs with a pop hook on 'Beware & Be Grateful' in 2012, a sub-culture predictably called for them to be burnt at the stake. Reviews of Arcade Fire's foray into EDM on their last one were lukewarm at best.
Strand of Oaks has ventured into territory that a lot of his long term fans will feel uncomfortable with. 'HEAL' is a work of catharsis though. On the title track, one part TV on the Radio, one part Bruce Springsteen, Tim sings "you gotta give out, give up, give in, you gotta heal", as he chronicles his booze and drug checkered past. A lot of the brazen honesty is wrapped up in 80s style keyboards. Don't be fooled though - he unleashes some very distorted and vicious guitar solos when you least expect it.
On 'Mirage Year', a Coldplay-esque string section opens a very soft ballad, with a piano predictably joining the fray. For a good three minutes he rues about how life can be so cruel in flat harmonies, the volume building to something epic. When it breaks, it's a screaming guitar / grimy, acid keyboard duo that lasts until the piano closes the track in a dignified and gracious way. Such is the sudden savagery and unexpected turns 'HEAL' takes. I've always liked artists who can make you experience something you could otherwise never experience. Showalter has provided an unapologetic glimpse into the life of a rebellious teenager navigating his way through 1980s America - through turgid disillusionment, to soul crushing regrets. At times he sings, at times he provides a well placed "woah-oh" chorus. On the closer 'Wait For Love' he wails through a megaphone. It's often beautiful, never contrived and always honest.
WVS
Having started out with a shoe-gazey, neo folk acoustic thrust (2009's 'Leave Ruin' remains one of my all time favourite albums), Strand of Oaks, like all great artists, has transformed. At a time when the industry is swallowing folk and guitar driven with a hunger that seemingly cannot be satiated, 'Strand of Oaks' have ducked down a dark alley - one where relentless, pulsing synths rub up against gritty, Mellencamp-esque guitars. 'HEAL', rather than casting a golden, sentimental light on his past, casts Showalter's youth without any Instagram filters or trite happy endings. If this album was a path of actual healing, Tim is getting there by getting it all out. He casts off the cloak of acoustic depression almost entirely. It's far from uplifting, but perhaps the occasional bouts of rage and swift fury is better than hanging your gloriously bearded head in shame.
When celebrated indie duo Tegan & Sara released their last synth heavy album, their fans declared the party over. When hippie wunderkinds Maps & Atlases started writing songs with a pop hook on 'Beware & Be Grateful' in 2012, a sub-culture predictably called for them to be burnt at the stake. Reviews of Arcade Fire's foray into EDM on their last one were lukewarm at best.
Strand of Oaks has ventured into territory that a lot of his long term fans will feel uncomfortable with. 'HEAL' is a work of catharsis though. On the title track, one part TV on the Radio, one part Bruce Springsteen, Tim sings "you gotta give out, give up, give in, you gotta heal", as he chronicles his booze and drug checkered past. A lot of the brazen honesty is wrapped up in 80s style keyboards. Don't be fooled though - he unleashes some very distorted and vicious guitar solos when you least expect it.
On 'Mirage Year', a Coldplay-esque string section opens a very soft ballad, with a piano predictably joining the fray. For a good three minutes he rues about how life can be so cruel in flat harmonies, the volume building to something epic. When it breaks, it's a screaming guitar / grimy, acid keyboard duo that lasts until the piano closes the track in a dignified and gracious way. Such is the sudden savagery and unexpected turns 'HEAL' takes. I've always liked artists who can make you experience something you could otherwise never experience. Showalter has provided an unapologetic glimpse into the life of a rebellious teenager navigating his way through 1980s America - through turgid disillusionment, to soul crushing regrets. At times he sings, at times he provides a well placed "woah-oh" chorus. On the closer 'Wait For Love' he wails through a megaphone. It's often beautiful, never contrived and always honest.
WVS
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