Great Lake Swimmers

Great Lake Swimmers

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 5, 2005)
• Original Release Date: April 5, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Misra Records
• ASIN: B0007UDCJO
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,739 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Mojo

"Beautiful, bittersweet, drifting, late-summer melancholia."

Product Description

With the buzz of crickets, Great Lake Swimmers’ self-titled debut opens with the subtly intoxicating "Moving Pictures, Silent Films." Plucked acoustic guitar weaves with sparse piano while crickets whisper in the background and songwriter Tony Dekker’s warbling voice hovers overtop; this could easily be the lonely soundtrack to a long-lost silent film. Recorded in an abandoned grain silo in southern Ontario, this haunting album finds its roots in classic folk music, and while mention of Nick Drake is undeniably loaded, it’s an unavoidable comparison. Throw in a pinch of Neil Young’s quieter moments and a touch of Cass McCombs and My Morning Jacket at their most sedate, and the result is the gorgeous sound of Great Lake Swimmers. With subtle colorings of acoustic guitar, piano, lap steel and accordion, it’s Toronto-based songwriter Dekker’s voice that carries the band. The reverby echo of Dekker’s vocals is the perfect accompaniment for a dark night on a moonlit porch or a long drive lit only by the dim glow of headlights. Addictive like the finest narcotics, this debut is an emotional, stirring album that is not just meant to be listened to…it’s meant to be soaked in.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars phenomenal first album, September 20, 2005

By	Rudy Foolish "mountain bucko" (Morgantown, WV USA) - See all my reviews

After having massively warped my copy of "Bodies & Minds," their newest release, from overuse in my car stereo, I recently caught a GLS show at a small local music café, where tragically there were less than 20 people in attendance, and where I was first introduced to the 10 ethereal, overpowering songs from this album, their first. Tony Dekker, finger-picking a very cello-sounding Seagull guitar, laid waste to the place. His vocals alone were enough to make you put off that bathroom break for painfully long stretches of time, striking a balance between the hushed intimacy of Sam Beam's whispered lullabies and the impressive range of Tim Buckley's operatic tenor. "Moving Pictures, Silent Films," a song in which the chord progression tumbles down the pentatonic scale in 3 sorrowful little movements, put more than a few lumps in the throats of those listening. And if "Merge, A Vessel" didn't leave the entire audience grief-stricken, "This is Not Like Home" left most digging in their pockets and purses for Kleenex, or choking down beer to regain composure. While I might be making their music sound like a trip to the funeral home, consider the monumental difficulty in creating something that has both the emotional and personal resonance as such a deathly event. Then consider whether or not it is time to stop ingesting sugar-coated, sunny pop numbers that deny a dismal reality for songs that look it square in the eye and embrace it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where have these guys been hiding?, October 9, 2006

By	Jeremy P. Durand (Garland, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Or have I just been living in a bubble?

Great Lake Swimmers is one of the better bands I've heard in a long while. A refreshing deviation from the overhyped, mainstream offerings currently playing over the airwaves.

I agree with some that the songs are definitely not going to make you feel like all is sunny and sparkling in the world. They are, however, extremely beautiful and Tony Dekker's voice has a soothing quality about it that is very appealing.

I definitely hear some Neil Young influence. They also remind me a bit of South San Gabriel (specifically, Will Johnson).

If you like Iron & Wine (Sam Beam)or the artists referenced above, you'll likely enjoy this album.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sad and lonely, April 22, 2005

By	D. West "Viking of Chaos" (Pittsburgh, PA.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Imagine if you will, a young, mellow Neil Young. He has by the campfire with him: Nick Drake,Gram Nash and hopefully Emmy lou Harris and Hope Sandival. Neil, with these other superb musicians and vocalists creates this melancholy atmosphere. You can almost hear Tony Dekkers heart breaking in his voice. I don't know man, not a musical trip you want to take if you're really down,but there is beauty in sadness,and sadness in beauty. To me, this music epitomizes just that. 5 stars for that alone. Peace.