Who threw a really heavy hula-hoop in the water? Who?
Made The Harbor by Mountain Man
Partisan Records (for the US), 2010
Three girls from Bennington, Vermont. Playing three-part harmonies with a guitar. Can't be half bad, can it?
Well, there's a number of way it could, but Mountain Man definitely didn't chose from those.
Going from ballads to playful tunes with a melody so beautifully catchy you'll end up singing at the supermarket, even if you never sing (watch out for "Buffalo" and "How'm I Doin'" in particular).
Describing their influences as" train engines mothers Redwoods Pines Oaks kale vegetables dogs breasts mountains ocean (seaweed) Wild West Colorado date orange scones Cora" there certainly is a timeless quality to their music that makes pointing out references unnecessary. It draws from a number of things, none of which I could accurately name, but I think that actually helps appreciate the record. Stopping the thinking, listening to the pastoral melodies, and letting them bring you this sense of calm, accepting friendliness.
There is some amount of old-style hum on this record, which probably has to do with the fact that they recorded Made The Harbor in an early 20th century ice cream truck (dixit Allmusic). Amidst the arpeggiated harmonies, this hardly noticeable roughness helps this record be more genuine. And even though these compositions are relatively silent, those artifacts become unnoticeable as soon as the song actually starts, because even though sparse, these composition command all your attention. In fact it's pretty hard to listen to it at the same time as writing about it. So excuse me, I'll go get my headphones and put it on repeat album for a while.
please make the record a littletinybit longer next time!
JNCT (human)
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