The Triangle

Issue date: 3/13/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Saddle Creek

Saddle Creek is probably one of my favorite record labels of all time - if not my favorite. They put out the best records ever - Bright Eyes records - and therefore ascends them to the greatest label. They've also been home to the synth new-wave destruction group The Faint, Maria Taylor's former mainstay Azure Ray, the ever-awesome Rilo Kiley, and Conor Oberst's side projects galore, like Park Ave. They don't have much going for them currently, other than Cursive, Maria Taylor, and other acts like Neva Dinova, Sebastian Grainger, and Tokyo Police Club. Granted, they have other acts, but I haven't seen anything from Saddle Creek recently that I've enjoyed or even been interested in since Bright Eyes' "Casscadaga" - until now.

O+S. Orenda Fink and Cedric Lemoyne. Post-rock, atmospheric, mellow fantastic-ness. Fink has, by nature, a beautifully haunting voice and the textures behind it simply add to the album's calming effect. I felt relaxed, probably the most tranquil I've been in a long time while listening to this record. It's pretty awesome when music has a physical effect on me and I am deeply impressed.

The self-titled record opens with a statement. The track "New Life" certainly does what it says - gives new life. Fink and Lemoyne certainly have slipped across something awesome and make it work through the whole track. It's a soul-slow-jam - pretty badass. The synth pads behind Fink's ethereal vocals make me want to make sweet and tender love to a hot indie-folk girl in a plaid western shirt.

Right after that masterpiece slow jam is the more up-tempo, dancier feeling "Permanent Scar." This track is bass heavy and makes me bounce my head. Fink starts the song by asking, "What kind of woman leaves a permanent scar/on such a beautiful heart?" and I just want to groove - for real. I'm from the suburbs - I don't dance. And unless you're Men, Women, & Children, I probably won't dance to your band. Nonetheless, "Permanent Scar" is a great hot 'n sweaty grind track with fuzzed out bass leading the way.

Up next is "The Fox," which is very Fink. The song has some synth-like 'Ooooh's' that are harmonized and run behind Fink and her solo acoustic guitar. The track is full of lo-fi goodness that resonates in my headphones. However, track four is where I start to feel some questions raise.

The record has two very complimenting aspects - Fink and her voice and the synth textures. But "Toreador" is a track that some how doesn't quite blend for me. The accompaniment is a piano, but the sampled drums for the first two minutes clash with everything. After two minutes, the track picks up and feels pretty solid.

I have the same sentiments about the next track "We Do What We Want." Actually, this track is way cooler then the previous. With an awesome pedaling bass over some sampled drums and then a pedaling guitar, the sounds are amazing. If this were a record, this would be where I put the needle back at the beginning.

The second half of the record blends into the same lo-fi synth pad rich goodness, but nothing memorable comes from it, which really let's me down.

Overall, this is one's hell of a debut. I expect nothing less than the best from Saddle Creek and O+S does pretty well to deliver on the first time around. Granted, this is something that could fit right into a slow montage in a Zach Braff film, particularly "Garden State." I really would love to see another Fink/Lemoyne collaboration. If not, I would be disappointed, but I'd always have O+S's debut to jam along to.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools