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- Summary: The indie band based in Oakland, California wrote songs for its sophomore album while up in Alaska for the summer.
- Record Label: Port O'Brien
- Genre(s): Rock, Alternative, Folk
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 10 out of 11
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Mixed: 1 out of 11
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Negative: 0 out of 11
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FilterThere are some raucous shout-alongs (with pots and pans!), but the band keeps it cohesive as singer Van Pierszalowski steers them through thoughtful waters--standing boldly triumphant in the face of the rempest. [Spring 2008, p.89]
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That’s not to say they don’t come across like an all-singing, all-banging Life Aquatic armed with pots, pans and whatever instrument comes to hand, but from the raw, stamping folk-punk to the string layered sea ditties, All We Could Do Was Sing is much more than it initially lets on.
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UncutIt's all charmingly rendered and, as in the wigout 'Pigeonhold,' teeming with joyous abandon a la the Arcade Fire. [Sep 2008, p.98]
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All We Could Do Was Sing does exactly what it say on the tin - an astonishing album, rich in storytelling and fables; woven with 11 brilliant songs by a band apparently driven by nothing more than the sheer love of performing.
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The good news is that the band's official debut (following the 2007 collection "Wind And The Swell") is still a solid art-pop album at its core, and importantly, more "American Gangster" than "The Crane Wife."
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There's a distance to their music, as if they're floating away on the horizon, just out of reach. It's worth savouring them that way.
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They like wonky jangle that recalls Pavement, mumbling melancholy, and the odd rowdy singalong and flourish of violin. Then something happens: their songs start to snag, and their sharp, simple lyrics do justice to sentiment.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 0 out of
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Mixed: 0 out of
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Negative: 0 out of