Port O'Brien 'All We Could Do Was Sing'

Justin Vernon may believe he has this year's best story behind an album, with his log cabin antics that have been repeated in every single Bon Iver review since, but Port O'Brien's Van Pierszalowski comes a close second. This album was written while Van spent a Summer working on his Father's commercial salmon fishing boat on Kodiak Island in Alaska. Unsurprisingly then, there is much talk of the sea and indeed, fishing on this album and if you think that would make it a dull affair, you'd be wrong.

This is Port O'Brien's debut album although they have previously released a cd of cobbled together odds and ends. They are the aforementioned Van Pierszalowski and Cambria Goodwin along with the recently recruited rhythm section, comprised of Caleb Nichols and Joshua Barnhart. The music they make, could be described as indie-folk, they occupy similar territory to San Francisco's The Dodos. The album is a mix of upbeat poppy numbers and lo-fi acoustic ballads. One style never really takes over completely and it all works together very well.

Opener 'I Woke Up Today' is immediate, catchy and could easily gain a lot of airplay with its 'chant-along' hook line which makes it sound like a distant cousin of Arcade Fire's 'Keep The Car Running'. The more reflective songs comparing a life at sea to a life in the city, such as 'Fisherman's Son' and 'Don't Take My Advice' provide the gentle acoustic ballads. Elsewhere, 'Pigeonhold' is unrepresentative but glorious with its electric guitar riffs, 'Will You Be There?' is a touching love song and a virtual re-write of 'When I'm 64' and 'The Rooftop Song' is an enjoyable instrumental anthem.

There is a huge amount to enjoy here. Certainly Port O'Brien have been influenced by artists such as Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens but they draw their influences together very well to make a varied record that is both celebratory and reflective.

8.1

['All We Could Do Was Sing' is out now on City Slang on cd and lp. It has lovely cover artwork so TracksandGigs recommends getting the LP.]