As I sit here typing this review, it’s hard for me to picture a more idyllic setting for processing the latest from folk trio Oliver Hazard. I’m on the back patio at a vacation rental, looking out over Lake Michigan in Grand Haven, MI. Golden Hour nears, and the sea (lake) and sky seem to become one at the horizon. A group of sailboats gathers on the horizon. 75 degrees. A light breeze. Life is good.
The truth is Oliver Hazard fits many a scenario and you don’t have to wait for your own utopia to listen. The band has enjoyed a rise to prominence in the last few years; they are the fastest rising group I still hear just about no one talking about. So, although they have a robust catalog already, their self-titled record that released this month serves as a sort of mission statement for the band. The weird thing about folk music for me is how for a genre where the lyrics are as exposed as they are, I find myself responding the most to the overall “vibe” conveyed, rather than the words themselves – perhaps more than in other genres.
Oliver Hazard have created an inviting paradox in this regard.
One of my favorite songs on the album has to be “Saratoga.” It carries a fair amount of pep, the right amount of pensive melodies, and assertive violins to carry the hook. “So I tied my shoes with a broken hand / Shooby doo bop bop and oh hot damn” is a silly chorus with some dark undertones – which certainly appeals to my heart that enjoys both trashy reality TV and Black Mirror when I’m unwinding with a Netflix show. I digress. Should I have just said that song hits the spot?
I did say in the title of this review that the album soothes. This is true even in its darkest moments. “Northern Lights” is a downright depressing song lyrically, that seems to be autobiographical. It treads a series of personal misadventures while the protagonist of the song muses “no I wouldn’t change a thing,” though it is unclear how much of that statement is tongue-in-cheek and how much is true. Perhaps both are true. Later on the album “Let Down” is something that treads a similar path but the feel is devastating – enough to break me out of my trance on the Lake Michigan patio.
Oliver Hazard are masters of accomplishing a lot with a little. With their forthcoming Oliver Hazard Day in Waterville, OH this record makes diving into that community as an outsider pretty darn enticing. The band’s conversational approach to singing and mastery of folk hooks ensure that their rise isn’t going to stop anytime soon.
0 Comments