Great Lakes Myth Society

Great Lakes Myth Society

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 19, 2005)
• Original Release Date: April 19, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Stop Pop & Roll
• ASIN: B00081U66Y
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #194,783 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Salt Trucks

2. Across the Bridge

3. Love Story

4. Buffalo Nickel

5. Big Jim Hawkins

6. Marquette County, 1959

7. Seeds for Sale

8. Pining, Drinking, Understanding

9. Isabella County, 1992

10. No. VI

11. Northern Lights Over Atlanta, Michigan

12. Foolish Motives of Lost Debates

13. Railway Ties

14. Cottonmouth

15. Lake Effect

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide

...a spellbinding, fascinating album, one that sounds like little else in the past or present.

Product Description

To some, the Great Lakes are inland oceans. To others, the large pools of relatively warm water are nothing more than the accelerator of winter weather catalyzed by the arctic air that flows down over them. But for the five men of Great Lakes Myth Society, the five bodies of water that form the chain of freshwater basins are more than that -- they’re living souls worthy of celebration and fear. Spurred on by the spirit of their hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the foot of Lake Erie, Great Lakes Myth Society’s self-titled debut encompasses every aspect of the Great Lakes region, specifically the dark tales of its people and natural surroundings.

"We’ve always had a keen sense of geography, and the music that turns me on the most calls to mind a certain place or era," explains Timothy Monger (vocals, guitars), "To reference our home in song has always been a natural reaction. It was only when we noticed how strong the themes were that the desire to center our project within the Lakes took hold." While band’s allegiance to the lakes is ever-present, a good melody is always paramount and it’s the combination of the two that fuel Great Lakes Myth Society’s alternately pastoral and brutal songs.

Take the plaintive "Buffalo Nickel" for example. "Tim and I used to live downtown on Ann Street in a rented house from the 1850’s," recalls James Christopher Monger (vocals, guitars). "In June, storm clouds would come in from the west and hold steady over us like a wraith in a Ray Bradbury novel. I like the idea of severe weather as an apocalyptic hiccup… a window into the past that, for just a brief moment, would re-animate our pre-World War I neighborhood of old. The chimes, thunder and sirens that appear on the song were recorded on a four-track from my bedroom window during one of these occurrences." Like the coming storm, vocals roll in ever more aggressively until a thunderclap of intertwined vocals and piano sweep the listener into the past.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Experience, April 25, 2005

By	Heidi (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews

The best way to describe GLMS, I believe, is "Epic". A sound like no other, original and ..... educational? lyrics derived from band members' interest in the history and mythology of the Michigan and greater lakes region. The band's energy and sincerity will get you hooked, the quality will keep you listening.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Agree to disagree... "charles B", October 21, 2005

By	K. Brablec "Twistie" (Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I think this is one of the most charming and honest albums to come our way in years. Great Lakes Myth Society is full of back road stories that are laced with the influences from our ancestors past. It sounds to me like "Charles B's" nostalgic nerve was severed at birth. May James Monger's Roar in Big Jim Hawkins haunt you in your dreams!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable!, May 25, 2005

By	williger (Brighton, MI) - See all my reviews

If you can't find something you like on this album, then you just don't like music! Melodies, harmonies, great beats, wonderful instrumental renderings, sometimes orchestral, but always interesting with fascinating imagery.