Port O'Brien is an indie rock group from California whose lastest effort is the full length album All We Could Do Was Sing.The album is striking, mostly because it hits all the stereotypical 2008 indie rock points.
Folksy vocals? Check.
Country stomp? Check.
Banjo? Check.
String arrangements? Check.
Loose sounding production? Check.
It's not that All We Could Do Was Sing is a bad album. Quite the contrary, it's very enjoyable. The problem is there is very little on this record to distinguish Port O'Brien from any number of other indie rock bands out there. If you have the Dr. Dog record or the Sunfold disc, why do you really need this one too?
There are some special moments. Cambrian Goodwin's female vocal on "In Vino Veritas" adds a great twist to the genre, while the clattery instrumental breakdown on "Pigeonhold" shows that the band has a tremendous, yet underused, improvisational talent.
It may sound like I'm panning the album, which I don't intend to do. I just see so much potential that went by the wayside.
Best tracks: "In Vino Veritas", "Close The Lid"
Check out the video for "I Woke Up Today" here:
Track listing for All We Could Do Was Sing:
- I Woke Up Today
- Stuck On a Boat
- Fisherman's Song
- Don't Take My Advice
- Alive For Nothing
- Pigeonhold
- Will You Be There?
- The Rooftop Song
- In Vino Veritas
- Close The Lid
- Valdez
6.5
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