$15.98 (list price), Country Folk, Nettwerk Basic Story: Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers return with an album that seems subtle and basic at first, but grows more rewarding after multiple listens.
Sample: “I thought I was sleeping/ but I was only forming a structure with no ceiling/ with words like a runway/ a cloud of a person drifting away.”
Verdict: ‘Ongiara’ is far from an attempt to break new musical ground. Instead, singer and songwriter Tony Dekker has unleashed 10 new songs that seem to scratch at the roots of country while relying slightly on his indie folk sensibilities. Its subtlety, for the most part, grows more endearing with each listen. But while the band’s sound is often compared to Sufjan Stevens and Iron and Wine, on ‘Ongiara,’ it lacks both the musical adventurousness and lyrical skills of the two performers. Still, it’s worth checking out, if not for Dekker’s great voice or for Owen Pallett’s (Final Fantasy/Arcade Fire) guest spot, then perhaps for helping to pass the time until Sufjan chooses his next state.
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