Customer Reviews

Ongiara

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am ashamed to say that I was not aware that the Great Lake Swimmers existed until a couple of months ago. As a musician and someone who prides themselves in keeping an eye out for great music, how they, or shall I say Tony Dekker, slipped by me is a mystery. Long story short, I'm glad that I read a review in Paste magazine that prompted me to go out and buy this CD. Without question this is the best CD I've heard in 2007... IN ANY GENRE. In fact, I would be willing to say with authority that I would rank this CD with just about any of the great singer/songwriter CD's of the 70's (e.g., Late for the Sky, Pink Moon, Old. No.1, Flying Shoes, etc.)Yes, it's that good. From the first song, "Your Rocky Spine", you know you are in for something special. By the time you hit the end of the second song, "Backstage With the Modern Dancers" and Dekker pulls out the line, "And out there on the wooden floors, the sweat from their pores, I'm writing a list of songs I can sing by myself." I don't know about anyone else, but I think that's about as good as it gets in lyric writing because of where it lays in the song. It is completely unexpected and extremely intimate, almost too intimate. It's the kind of lyrical risk that only truly courageous songwriters take. There's a spirit of deep longing and melancholy throughout this record, but there is also a feeling of "all is not lost", a spirit of hope that plays off of the loneliness as well. The songs are recorded using spare instrumentation (mostly acoustic guitar, banjo, double bass, and drums played with brushes). You do hear an electric guitar here, a keyboard there, an occasional orchestral instrument, but the arrangements are very understated. The vocals sound distant and are delivered with a sense of urgency and yearning. This is Americana, New Traditional Music of the highest order. As a songwriter myself, what I love about this record is how lyrically open it is and how musically simple the approach is. Dekker takes the kind of chances I still don't have the courage to take as a writer. Lyrically, he writes very cathartically, but it is literate, not contrived or derivative. His musical arrangements are astonishing in their simplicity, but innovative at the same time, such as when the banjo parts are played to create the sense of piano/keyboard single notes or chordal phrasings. All of the songs are great, but the first five come out of the box so powerfully, that he really has you in the palm of his hand at that point. For anyone who enjoys deep lyrics, beautifully crafted music, and a unique listening experience, this is a must.

Having been raised a classical musician, who also loves everything from Yes and Led Zeppelin to Tool and System of a Down, I am always looking for new things to expand our already bursting at the seams collection of eclectic music. Thanks to Minnesota Public Radio's The Current, we found Great Lake Swimmers. I think I have pretty high standards for my music and really seek complex composition and true musicianship. This album fits the bill. His voice is haunting and melodic, the banjo peaks your curiosity and the lyrics are wonderful. I recommend this to anyone looking for a great CD to listen to while having a cool summer drink.

This is just a heartbreakingly beautiful, soulful folk album, like some kind of tear-jerking prayer. I listened to it continuously for the first month I owned it. The recording was made in what sounds like a big, wooden building with gorgeous acoustics, which adds to the resonance of both voice and instruments. While some compare the sound of GLS to Nick Drake, I think there is more innocence to their sound, which gives their music a thread of hope under the melancholy.

I brought this into my high school classroom and my precocious, artistic students immediately embraced it, adding it to their own iPods. Great Lake Swimmers bridge traditional folk music, singer-songwriter lyricism and new folk. I think many ages and generations can appreciate this particular album.

The Great Lake Swimmers' Ongiara is probably the best new record I have bought in 2007, and believe me, I have bought many! As is always the case with great and beautiful music, I find no need to put a label on this record, it should be equally thrilling to those who like world music, alt country or rock music. Unfortunately I haven't been able to purchase the previous, self-titled record from this band but I'll definitely keep looking while also eagerly awaiting the next release.

Gudjon, Iceland

It's been a while since my husband and I have come across such a beautiful and entrancing compilation of work. The lyrics and banjo-guitar accompaniment are beautiful. Wonderfully voiced, I could listen to this all day. There's not a bad track on the cd. This is definitely an extremely mellow and "chill-out" work, but it would appeal many; indie, bluegrass and country-music listeners alike.

There's a much longer review in me but I need some time to process what is already a great album. Check it out.

I had never heard of Great Lakes Swimmers until listening to their set on Mountain Stage. It was a short set but I knew I had to hear more of this band. This album is richly textured and gets better with each listen. I have been listening to it several times a week since I purchased the CD and have turned several friends on to Great Lakes Swimmers as well.

If you like americana this will float your boat, these guys should be huge, the more you listen the better it gets, cant fault this album.

This album is like a red wine that gets better with age. Since work blocked Pandora and I subsequently lost my Great Lake Swimmers station, I have listened to this album at least once a day and I love it more every day.

There is no shortage of pretty songs on Ongiara. In fact, all of the songs are pleasant and unobtrusive at the least. My problem with this album is that it never, as a whole, sank its talons in, even after repeat listens. Compare this, for instance to the more recent self-titled album by Fleet Foxes, which I found both accessible and deep.

Perhaps I just don't have the sophistication to appreciate the 'Swimmers Ongiara for what it is. I will say that the lead track, Your Rocky Spine, is one of the most brilliant and poetic love songs I have ever heard. Every time I listen to it, I cannot decide if it is a love song to a woman, borrowing imagery from the land, or the opposite. I suppose if pressed, I would cast my lot with the latter.