Customer Reviews

The Wow Signal

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We were left with the impression that:

If ever an angelic voice could manifest itself in male form,
then that voice could probably be Pat's.
Not quite perfect, and not always eloquent,
most certainly human.

This entire multi-genre album is a work of art!
Oh yeah and:
"I bet you thought" really ROCKS!!

In Summary:
This is "Hauntingly beautiful with kick!

I got this CD from another retailer (who shall remain nameless) because I thought, "anyone who gets their CD filed under 'Progressive Rock' AND 'Americana' has to at least be interesting and worth a listen". I was not disappointed. This CD reminds me, not stylistically but more in feel, of the kinds of albums we used to get with The Beatles. You have several songs that remind you of space rock bands like Coldplay and Supergrass, a good hint of Peter Gabriel, the wall of noise electronica enhanced mental and aural breakdown of 'the wow signal' itself, and even a touch of Wilco with the old timey album closer 'Grape Jelly'. All well-crafted, too. Will this CD confuse the casual listener? Nah. It all hangs together really well. Definitely worth a lot of spins in your CD player.

"The Wow Signal" is Pat Ortman's first foray into a concept album as it explores the acrid desert in which our souls are now starving for communication in the 21st century. It's about reaching out, beyond this familiar plane of existence for life, intelligence and love in the universe. I won't explain the Wow Signal's inspiration or genesis because other reviews have already done that. I will say that this CD is to me, obviously influenced by the late, great George Harrison and also has a distinctive California flavor. The ear appreciates it more and more upon repeated listening. Pat plays guitars, bass, drums, and piano on this recording as well as vocals and he has a very strong, clear and pleasant voice that will only garner more passion and strength from performing live. He received assistance with drums and spoken word from Mick Fleetwood; George Pendergast contributed drums and trumpets and Bill Whitehouse created and performed noise collage.

My favourite tracks include the gorgeously ethereal "More", the redemptive "Learning To Forgive" and the passionately political "Selling Hate". I've also found that I like the song "Victim" more every time I hear it. I enjoy all of the songs on "The Wow Signal" but if I had to pick one throw away track, it would be "Grape Jelly", as I don't feel it fits with the overall theme.

Pat Ortman is what is real and relevant about music in the 2000's and he is blazing the trail for other independent artists by his example. With passion, ambition and commitment, anyone who has talent on this level WILL succeed as long as you don't ever lose sight of what matters most, and that's being true to yourself and the music.

As a Pat Ortman fan from the old coffeehouse troubador days of 2000, I'm thrilled with The Wow Signal. It's filled with introspective and sometimes edgy yet spacious songs about relationships, alienation, and growing up. I especially love the ballads Learning to Forgive, Victim, and It Begins. I think Pat has more in common with Peter Gabriel and Doves than most people have mentioned, at least with this CD he's mining some of the same depths those guys go for.

Lots of spacey melodic things happening, but a fair bit of guitar bite to it too. Great lyrics, good voice in an alternative rock kind of way. Hit potential: More, It Begins, Learning To Forgive, Victim. Weird potential: Grape Jelly. Is that a goof on us all, a cosmic joke? Reading the lyrics one gets that Grape Jelly is Pat telling us he doesn't really put much faith in the whole rock and roll machine. Hey, maybe that's not a bad attitude given the generalized mass garbage we're poked with in today's music world. Still, I wonder how many people will get it.

Having been subjected to opinions, well meaning advice, and some "in the back"
arrows from the elitist that insist on telling me "how to look", "what to buy" and
what to listen to,
Life had become a bit much!

This one song became stuck in my head and pulled me back from the precipice of
impending self destruction!

Pat, like it or not, you are my Angel!!

A friend of mine let me borrow her cd. I could have copied it,
but I loved the artwork and the lyrics so well,
that I decided to purchase my own.

I do feel that the abstractions conveyed in the lyrics will not
digest very well in western culture as these societies are somewhat
hormonally imbalanced and this excellent album has so much to say.

This is the sound we like the most.
Favorites:
It Begins
Bet you thought
Victim
Learrning to Forgive
Still Love You
The WOW Signal

This version of the CD is the correct, legit one. The other is a relabeled repackaged one. So rock on, and thanks for supporting indie music!

I'm blown away that this cd is the work of (mostly) one man. Why isn't this on the radio all the time? Why aren't people writing about Pat's opus in Rolling Stone? I suggest we start a movement to get Pat's music out to the teeming masses subsisting on top40 radio fare.

Songs I really loved: More, Victim, It Begins, Learning To Forgive. Songs I liked: Bet You Thought, The Wow Signal... oh heck, it's all good. Even that bottleneck slide guitar song the CD ends with. Wicked sense of humor, dude.