Artist: Our Brother The Native
Title: Parting Marrows
Label: FatCat
Genre: Indie
Bitrate: 169kbit av.
Time: 00:21:28
Size: 27.42 mb
Rip Date: 2008-09-26
Str Date: 2008-10-20
1. Augural Wraith 2:50
2. Seminal Paws 3:51
3. Failed Panegyrics 4:50
4. Warm Refines 5:40
5. Parting Marrows 4:17
Release Notes:
Our Brother The Native where discovered towards the end of
2005, and the bandÆs debut album, æTooth and ClawÆ, was
released in July 2006. Following on from that release, was the
expansive, æMake Amends, For We Are Merely VesselsÆ (February
2008). Now, Our Brother The Native return with their third
effort for Fat Cat, in the form of a 5 track digital EP.
Entitled æParting MarrowsÆ, the EP is more immediate - fuelled
by shorter, summer-tinged compositions that are timeless,
earnest and full of hope.
For æParting MarrowsÆ the band incorporates a reduced line-up
comprised of Joshua Bertram (guitar, bowed banjo,
sounds/samples, sax, harmonium, synth, vocals), John Michael
Foss (drums/percussion, piano) and Joe Akers (guest vocals on
2 tracks). The five tracks were recorded predominantly by Josh
over the summer, in almost complete solitude due to the
departure of close friends. Like æMake AmendsàÆ, the record
focuses once again on loss and loneliness, yet takes a
different approach to its predecessor, this time trying to see
the light and hope in loved ones returning and embracing the
thought of reunion. You can hear ghosts and wraiths, chirping
like birds hidden in a rich canopy, omnipresent yet unseen.
The EP has more in common with æTooth and ClawÆ, being less
enigmatic than the dense drone-epics of æMake AmendsàÆ. As
Josh explains, ôI wanted these songs to have more room to
breath and the listener to be able to peak through the cracks
here and thereö.
New instrumental directions take place in the shape of
saxophone, harmonium/organ and various junk-yard sounds. Josh
devoured these new instruments, stumbling on fresh noises,
searching freely as he wondered deep into uncharted sonic
planes. Many exciting organic sounds where created through the
inventive use of pumice stone, wind chimes and manipulated
tape. Guest vocals are provided on æAugural WraithÆ and
æSeminal PawsÆ by Creepy CrawlÆs Joe Akers, who brings a
haunting tinge to the recording. Musical inspiration was
derived from JoshÆs love of African, Middle Eastern, Balkan
and Javanese Gamelan music. This shines through, especially on
æWarm RefinesÆ, which stomps a twisted march to a wild tribal
vocal, inducing compulsory toe-tapping and body-swaying.
The free-form junk-yard aesthetic, teamed with the camp-fire
clap-along songs, (akin to the debut album æTooth and ClawÆ),
take a nod towards the output of Panda Bear, M·m, Paavoharju
and Tape. Yet comparisons fall short as OBTN forge an
idiosyncratic course thatÆs entirely their own. The shorter
songs make way for an immediacy that sears itself to oneÆs
memory upon first listen. The tracks swell and roll,
collecting chimed momentum as they bubble with expressive
lyrics that cackle with honest, pleading stories. The
arrangements are tight, yet free to ramble, and there is an
element of summer as the songs unfold like freshly blown
dandelion seeds, finding their way to the nurturing soil of
your eardrums.
Running to 22 minutes, this EP feels wholly substantial, and
opens doors for the bandÆs next album. OBTN are still a very
young band - continually experimenting / still studying /
taking up summer jobs through spring break / collaborating
across states and learning new instruments. This incredible
hive of activity gives them an unpredictable and unique
creative environment, in turn producing music that has
astounded online communities, the media, gig-goers and the
record buying public. The direction taken in æParting MarrowsÆ
is sure to generate much new interest and also raise awareness
in such a rare and important outfit. OBTN are making some of
the most far-out yet accessible music in the US right now.
The album ends on the piano-driven retrospective title track
that drifts with former apparitions and once-hidden memories,
strange and yet familiar to all. ItÆs is a moving ending to a
pocket-sized collection of rich, life-affirming songs.