|
Thank god I took Spanish for 12 years of my life,
otherwise I may not have known what “el oso”
meant. In case you were wondering, it means the
bear, but honestly, that information is irrelevant.
Milwaukee’s El Oso in no
way resembles any characteristics of said animal,
musically speaking. If they were really hairy guys,
I could see where the bear reference might have
come from, but they aren’t, and besides, it’s
all unrelated to how superb their latest LP, Whichever
Chapter Covers Now, truly is.
The album opens with the semi-epic “Country
Radio,” a slow, heavy-eyed track, which
gives the first taste of Jim Hanke’s
organic and pleasing vocals. What’s truly
refreshing in these 11 tracks is that they lack
the feeling of El Oso trying too hard. They blend
acoustic guitars with light synth faire into seamless
melodies, subtracting any of the pretension that
often comes along with rock music of the electronically
infused variety.
Simple in his lyrics, Hanke’s voice is
often folk-like in tendency, while still managing
to keep their rock sound rooted. The best song
on the album is “Lions,” a stripped-down
acoustic piece, devoid of any loops or beats.
Hanke’s low wail expels the words “The
city made her sour as a skunk / In her yellow
locks were ink and blueberry molasses / And she
reeked of drunk,” with wary remorse, but
this is just the tip of his lyrical capabilities.
Contemporarily speaking, El Oso is a little more
like The Dears than The Postal Service, but they
adequately serve up equal doses of the indie as
well as the electronic. Whichever Chapter Covers
Now softly states El Oso’s purpose, without
diluting folk or electronic traditions. Effective,
sweet, and efficient, El Oso’s debut makes
for a wonderful introduction.
www.eloso.net
www.contraphonic.com
Bree Kutz, April 1, 2005
See More Reviews at our
Music Review Archive
|
