Eraserland - Strand Of Oaks (2019)
Ideated from: going through some of my “best of month” lists I’ve been keeping for years.
This is off the “best of month, April 2019” list. Other things on this list: The Seduction Of Kansas by Priests, Music!Music!Music!by Charlie Hunter & Lucy Woodward, Cognitive Dissidents by Valence
The log line for Strand of Oaks is, I think, “Just in case Bruce Springsteen isn’t emotional and epic enough for you.” Highly confessional songwriting and a raw 70s rock approach to the songs make it beautiful and brutal.
Most of the backing band on this album is members of My Morning Jacket, which makes a lot of sense if you listen to that band. It mostly evokes Petty and Springsteen, but with flourishes of jangle pop, indie rock, punk, and psychadelia. Even when the lyrics are vague, the energy still comes through of a person fighting through self-doubt and second-guessing. The music stays driving throughout and complements it nicely
Tracks I Liked
Hyperspace Blues - more synth-heavy than most of the record, a hook-first shout-along.
Moon Landing - an in-depth dissection of, I assume, a band breakup. Intense and immediate.
Ruby - a pretty good stab at 80s pop, filtered through the indie rock instrumentation
