Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
their large songbook, June 19, 2008
The winters are cold in New Jersey. I'm not a native but I bear the brunt of it with them and it is all too easy to put on a scowl and stomp through this car-saturated state feeling the very bleakness that allows its big brother, New York City, to laugh and ridicule it from across the Hudson River.
Holler, Wild Rose! (note the punctuation; a deal maker/breaker for some) are from New Jersey but it is not the beer-and-heartache place of "The Boss" that they come from. Holler's garden state is of the Icelandic variety of cool breezes and warm fires, of hope and of solace and, when they're at their best, of triumph and joy; though they don't spurn their roots entirely.
Our Little Hymnal, their debut offering, opens with the song from which the band derives their name. It begins with the shout of "Holler" and then explodes through the speakers with that aforementioned triumphant ferocity: pounding drums, a wash of chords and echo-laden lead guitar before giving way to a bounding bass line, quietly strummed acoustic guitar and a gentle description of a big city life partially rejected. The sweetness of front man John Mosloskie's voice and the dreamy spaciousness of the music soon take another sabbatical to make way for a tastefully accurate George Harrison style guitar sound, Bono style vocal riffing, and more drums as the wall of sound builds once more. This time, upon meeting the final joyous crescendo, the sound drops away and the song is left blowing contentedly in the mid-Atlantic breeze amidst the sound of engines, whistles and trains. This is the sound of a band with big ideas and big talent.
Although the influences are worn plainly; the My Bloody Valentine fuzz of "Mary Lawn Hair", the obvious Thom Yorke, Jeff Buckley and Bono comparisons that Mosloskie will garner and the quasi-religious fervor of the vocabulary are easy to spot. However, it is where the tri-state area natives attempt to drag all of this that makes for interesting listening. Wrapped up in the train traffic noises, meditations on commuter life and lost loves are glistening mountaintops of hope, redemption and beauty; this is our concrete world told through the eyes of the offspring of shoegaze and Sigur Ros.
The gospel-tinged epic that is "Captive Train" could be one of the best songs released by any band in 2007 and goes some way to covering a few of the cracks that appear in the album, and there are a few. The second half of the record is just too slow with "Poor In Spirit" taking an age to get going but still finishing strongly. While closing track "Promise Braid" ends the album on a whimper instead of a bang.
Freshman errors aside this is a worthwhile listen from a band that you will, no doubt, be hearing from as Nu-gaze shuffles into gear. They also have the added advantage that "Sun Vines" will lighten even the darkest winter mood. My proof: even I cracked a smile this morning whilst pounding the wind-ravaged streets of northern Jersey. The moral of this tale and of their album: anything is possible.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Indie Twist, March 10, 2008
I have to agree with another review of this album. I would also call this style "shoegazing indie folk." And it's fantastic, in my opinion. I feel like this album kind of absorbs you because the sound is so dense. I find myself listening to it over and over and loving it, but not quite able to put my finger on why I love it. I think this would be a bonus to anyone's indie collection. Don't be surprised if you fall in love with the guy's voice, either.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
some great 60s-70s throwback, jam band style rock n roll, January 23, 2008
If you'd like to hear some great 60s-70s throwback, jam band style rock n roll, than look no further than Holler, Wild Rose. The energy level never breaks mellow on Our Little Hymnal, but if you're just laying back reminiscing about the good old days of peace, love, and happiness, then let this one set the soundtrack.
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