Customer Reviews

Oh, the Places We'll Go

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great indie pop album by an up and coming Olympia band, and their first release on K Records. The music is upbeat and interesting, and makes use of a wide variety of instruments, giving the music an interesting overall feel to it. The production is low-budget, but not super simple, nor lo-fi per se. The music is soft, but upbeat. The vocals are a blend of both male and female, which I've always personally found to be very enjoyable. There are guitars in the music, but they never dominate, and are blended among the keyboards, horns and other sounds, all of which tend to be played fairly softly.

I think of this band as a good example of the latest of what's happening in the northwest indie scene. There are elements of twee in this, but with more complex instrumentation and arrangements than what's typically associated with "twee pop". You can tell there's a strong desire by the musicians to simply make great pop music, without really worrying about what genre or movement it can be classified as. And at that, I've think they've definitely succeeded. (Although be prepared for a very "indie" level of production quality.)

The vocals are thin and reedy, the harmonies are weak where they do exist. Unlike those who've commented that they found the tunes "catchy", I found them to be repetitious, vacuous, and well, just plain boring. The instrumentation is simple, unimaginative and unimpressive. I'd give the available previews a careful listen if you are thinking of buying this.

Oh, and don't be confused by the band's name, "borrowed" from the 1970's German progressive rock band "Lake", which has merely been fully capitalized by this indie band in a lame attempt at differentiation. This is definitely NOT the group who popularized "Jesus Came Down" and other top hits of the progressive rock era.

If you LIKE the pedantic sound of this indie band, by all means purchase it, but it's certainly not my musical "cup of tea", as you can gather from this review. To each their own...

This is the little album that could; a ton of instrumentation, without sounding clogged, LAKE manages to be upbeat while being downbeat. The lo-fi nature of the album never overshadows just how damn catchy these songs really are. Even with the album clocking in under 30 minutes, it leaves you wanting more, and rewards you on each repeat listen. I'm writing this in anticipation of their new album "Let's Build A Roof", and because of the preceding 2-star reviewer that gives it a low grade because of his own mistake. Give this album a chance. Tight, distinct, and memorable melodies, perfect pop by a skilled collective of musicians that leaves you with a smile as you hit repeat.

Breezy summery pop tunes. I'm sorry if this isn't the German Prog band you were looking for, but they are a talented group of musicians and excellent songwriters. I saw them open for and play as the back-up band for Adrian Orange many years ago and was immediately won over. They made the transition from performing their own pop tunes to performing as an Afrobeat band with Adrian seamlessly. This album is the last one that I have from them, having slacked on getting the newest one while they were last in town. The good vibes shooting out from this brighten my days here in the deep of winter. The standout tracks for me are Counting and Oh the Places II.

I was expecting an album by the German Prog rock band Lake. However, I always like to support local music and this Lake is pleasant in a Prozac for Lovers sort of way. Charming melodies, simple tunes. Very nice.