Cove

A Weather | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 4, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Team Love
• ASIN: B0012IWHJG
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,833 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars 8.5/10, November 23, 2008

By 

Rifugium (Newtown Square, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cove (Audio CD)

Another random impulse-buy-turned-nice-discovery of mine. The debut full-length album of this Portland, OR, group is a very impressive bit of pleasant and refined music, bringing to the foreground yet another ideal pairing of male and female vocals, both of a very subdued nature. In fact, mostly all of the vocals are in a whisper tone, and the two singers compliment each other so perfectly, that I can only use the cliched statement that it seems to be a match made in heaven. Both vocal roles are expressed very articulately, and vary from song to song in that sometimes they harmonize, sometimes and other times they share the primary melody, differing only in octave. The songs are largely based around acoustic guitars and subtle keyboards, though strings get a fair amount of attention as well, as do mallets (it sounds like a marimba, I think).

"Spiders, Snakes," is a good enough introduction, but by the time "Shirley Road Shirley" enters, it becomes obvious that there is something really special happening here: the vocal harmonies really begin to shine. It becomes fully apparent that what we are getting is the catchiness of very good pop hooks, without the music spilling too far into realm of what people normally consider pop music, as well as a solid base of cleverly intricate--yet completely unostentatious--musical elements. "Small Potatoes" probably borders the most on being an out-and-out pop song, despite the meek vocals. Still, one can't help hearing radio-friendliness in the tune. "Pilot's Arrow" is another highlight, with the girl vocals taking more control, and "Pinky Toe" is another favorite, recalling all of what made "Shirley..." a good tune.

There is an appeal to _Cove_ as it provides a viable alternative to pop music for people like myself who don't listen to pop that often, but who aren't averse to it, if and when it's good. The boyfriend/girlfriend-type lyrics might be a turn-off to some people, but if you can get past that, you'll realize that there is no reason not to enjoy this album. This is a band with talent in writing and playing their songs, and they will be under my watchful eye in the future. As much as I do like this album, I can see (hear) room for improvement, and hopefully that is what future albums from A Weather will bring.

*This is the third of a three-review collection of mine, featuring three albums of 2008 somewhat comparable in style, all featuring boy-meets-girl vocals, and each unique in its own right. Of the three, I surprisingly consider this my favorite (as of now), even though it is arguably outdone musically and artistically by Gregor Samsa.

- See _Sunday at Devil Dirt_ by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan for a more casual and naturalistically folkish album, that is cheerful enough without being sugary, and gloomy enough without being depressing.

- See _Rest_ by Gregor Samsa for a more minimalist and artistic album that will appeal more to highly eclectic music listeners as well as fans of post-rock.

- See _Cove_ by A Weather for an album with similar placidity, and the catchy flow of pop music without actually being pop music.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great music, at times in the style of folk music, July 11, 2008

By 

Amy Norton "Amy C" (Grays Harbor, WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cove (Audio CD)

This CD is full of great music. It has a slow pace at times, and then other times can be a little bit upbeat. The lyrics and tunes are catchy. The words definitely are something to think about if you like not just listening to your music, but thinking about it, too. NPR has done an article on the Pinky Toe song (a delightfully mellow song). I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link to it, but here goes: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91685086

If you decide to buy it, scroll down to the near-bottom of the page, on the right side, click Purchase Featured Music. This will take you back here to Amazon, and then NPR gets credit for the sale.