Or, the Whale

Or, The Whale

Seany

Oct 12, 2009 Web Exclusive By Laura Leebove Bookmark and Share

On its self-titled sophomore release, San Francisco's Or, The Whale offers a collection of 11 sweet country tunes that thrive mostly on tight, soulful, and slightly twangy harmonies. Though some of the lyrics are a bit trite ("Rusty Gold" begins, "My dog died and it broke my heart/Letting go's the hardest part/Now that she has been set free/I hope her ghost will visit me"), the album's strengths come from the tunes about getting high on jimson weed ("Datura") and whiskey-soaked woes of chilly California nights ("Shasta"). Despite being seven members strong, the guys and gals of Or, The Whale manage to not overpower one another as they switch off on vocal duties amid bluesy piano runs ("No Love Blues"), subtle banjo plucks ("No Death"), and electric southern-rock riffs ("Black Rabbit"). (www.orthewhale.com)

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