Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Sound, May 23, 2000
A great band out of Athens, GA. They are in the most-played rotation on WUOG, The student radio station at the University of Georgia. Fairly new, they usually open for fellow Athenians like Masters of the Hemisphere. A good indie-college rock band; they are a tight group. This could be the beginning of a great long-term thing. THey not only have potential; They use it. Be ye a "townie" or just looking for a band that rocks, the Great Lakes are really worth a listen.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dynamic Debut, August 14, 2000
By A Customer
Great Lakes' psychedelic sound combines creative, melodic, layered songs with a wide variety of instruments to create a very impressive debut. If you want to take inspiration from prior decades, the Beatles and the Beach Boys are good company. They have backed up their CD with exciting, live performances at the Echo Lounge in Atlanta and the 40 Watt in Athens, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We look forward to their next tour. The dozen songs will linger in your mind and delight each time you revisit Great Lakes.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Swim in the lakes, October 29, 2004
Elephant 6 bands are known for being enchanting and inventive. And Great Lakes, a part of the "extended family," does not disappoint with their self-titled debut. With gently echoing vocals and some sweetle folky pop overtones, it's a charming little listen.
The tone is set with "Storming," a melodious pop song with a folk heart and a hint of piano and strings. That sound carries over into several other songs like the horn-accented "Easy Life" and the banjo-ish "Come Home and Come True." But Great Lakes avoids the pitfalls of monotony with the organ in "Become the Ship," the gentle piano-pop in "Banana," and the shimmering psychedelic spurts of "Parachutes."
Great Lakes is one of those bands that doesn't get as much attention as they deserve. The brainchild of Dan Donahue, Ben Crum, and Jame Huggins, this band gets support from Elephant 6 band members from Apples in Stereo, Elf Power and Neutral Milk Hotel. And the result is some rousingly enjoyable pop music.
James Huggins's vocals don't ever rise too far above the music. In fact, it's hard to really separate his vocals from the music -- they're shrouded in echoes and a little robotic sounding. Listen carefully, and you can discern songwriting that is merely okay at worst (the lackluster "Storming") and excellent at best ("I dreamed you were a parachute/I had to cut you loose/(I left you there regrettably)/you let me down gracefully...")
Occasionally the sound is mostly acoustic, like the harmonica-and-banjo of "Come Home and Come True," which only has a few electronic wavers. But elsewhere, electric guitar and restrained percussion are augmented by electronic wavers, squiggles and sputters. And the ethereal keyboard solo in "Banana," with a bit of guitar mixed in, is enchanting.
Great Lakes's self-titled debut is a great collection of sweet pop music, and not something to forget in a hurry, like a sweet dream early in the morning.
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