Port O'Brien 'Threadbare'

Port O'Brien return with the follow-up to last year's joyful 'All We Could Do Was Sing', an album written on a fishing boat and containing ramshackle acoustic-based songs which tugged at the heartstrings whilst encouraging the listener to sing along. The band are, essentially, a duo. Both Van Pierszalowski and Cambria Goodwin sing and play instruments and both have jobs outside of the band. Goodwin's brother died whilst this record was being written and while it is not a solemn album, the dominant themes are life, death and friendship as well as finding pleasure in the simple things in life.

Musically things haven't changed all that much. 'Threadbare' in general is a little less hurried than its predecessor, the songs are allowed to breathe a little more and it is generally a touch slower. There is certainly nothing here as out-and-out celebratory as 'I Woke Up Today. Port O'Brien certainly have a way with melody though. Most songs here, whether slow or fast, have a memorable melody and are very hummable. Pierszalowski's 'My Will Is Good', in particular, is extraordinarily catchy.

The key difference between the two records though is that while everything on 'All We Could Do Was Sing' was enjoyable, here there are some great songs....and they are mostly those featuring Goodwin on vocals. 'Tree Bones' starts off as a gentle strum before building into a swirling anthem and finishing with Goodwin singing quietly and starkly over minimal backing, its a song of growth, life and then decay, disarming, affecting but joyful. The title track and the two versions of 'High Without The Hope' that bookend the album create similar moods with slow arrangements and Goodwin's ghostly vocal combining to usher in a sound not unlike Mimi Parker-fronted Low songs.

There is certainly a split between Goodwin's songs and Pierzalowski's. The latter are generally livelier, the ramshakle 'Oslo Campfire' with its chants and yelps being a key example as well as the buoyant 'Leap Year', the nearest thing here to the carefree abandon of 'I Woke Up Today'. The exception that proves the rule though is the album's centrepiece 'Calm Me Down', an epic ballad sung by Piewzalowski, patiently building into an impassioned chorus and a string-laden coda. Its perhaps the best track here.

'Threadbare' is not a record that will provide instant gratification. Its a varied, sometimes difficult, album that demands patience and a willingness to explore. It is also a beautiful set of songs and delivers, through sadness, a feeling of joy and life-affirment. A record about friendship, love and life. Great stuff.

['threadbare' is out now on City Slang]

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.]