Strand of Oaks - HEAL

​The album opener “Goshen ‘97” is a fiery rocker that features some guest guitar from J Mascis – it’s like a supercharged take on The War on Drugs’ confessional radio-rock, beefed up by Mascis’ signature guitar yowl and a bone-rattling bass guitar sound. It’s got a wide-screen, cinematic feel, no doubt exacerbated by the rock-solid Springsteen ’84 rhythm and storytelling vibe. The “I was lonely/But I was having fun” mantra is a naturally cathartic phrase, a validation of one’s misdeeds that can find a place in the heart of most listeners. Musically, it splits the difference between The Gaslight Anthem’s down-and-out tales of bum-dom and the nostalgic pang of memories of youth dredged up by the aforementioned greats Adam Granduciel and the Boss.

The next track , “HEAL”, opens in a wash of synth – it’s a clue to the rigid post-punk dynamism on display in the track proper. Showalter’s echoing voice sounds sultry and sibilant, resplendent as it is under a layer of fuzz. The icy synthesiser sound only expounds the multi-dimensional appeal of the album, as does the wacky atmosphere on show in the following track “Same Emotions”. It’s another tale of loss and dejection, this time set to a jerky rhythm and funky guitar line.

The track that follows, “Shut In”, plays like a updated version of Tom Petty’s “Rebels”, only without the cheesy 80s signifiers and with more annoying, twiddly guitars. The morose plodding of “Woke Up to the Light” and the shoegazer atmospherics of “JM” are amongst the most interesting textures on display on HEAL, because they offer the most in terms of stylistic diversity. The pensive, spectral feel of “Plymouth” showcases Showalter’s unique emotive vocal abilities – it sounds as though the man is singing directly to you here, and what an effective tool that is in ‘emotional guy’ music.

“Mirage Year” and “Wait For Me” appear either side of the album highlight “For Me”. “Wait For Love” is an effective, potent closer, owing to Showalter’s falsetto and a clicking, metronomic Suicide beat. “Mirage Year” offers a barren musical landscape, filled only with sweeping strings and an enormous drum sound. Album pick “For Me” alternates between heavy stoner rock riffing and tense, percussive verse sections – it’s like a fine Queens of the Stone Age track.

One minor point I tried not to bring up (but I couldn’t help myself) is that a lot of this material sounds like a beefed-up Sam’s Town-era Killers or recent, watered-down Gaslight Anthem. Dead Oceans probably wouldn’t be happy with that comparison, but it’s one of the most obvious connections that can be drawn, and thus, I’ve made it. Showalter’s emotive voice and Springsteen-isms often sound remarkably similar to Brandon Flowers’ raw crooning, and the musical backdrop (tight rhythms, synth flourishes, blunt-edged but super-sized guitar lines) sounds like a continuation of Flowers and Co.’s 2006 exploration of the darkness on the edge of town.

Hey, listen, Bon Jovi and the Killers have used their Springsteen-mode just as well as The War on Drugs and Dinosaur Jr have, and Strand of Oaks’ particular synthesis of modern sounds with retro feels is as entertaining as it is uplifting. Just don’t expect it to stir you like the Boss can, because that would be nothing short of a miracle. If that’s what you’re after, then Lost in the Dream is still the album for you.