The Great Lake Swimmers' blend of catchy, rural indie pop and brooding north country folk with Low-inspired tempos is like a shot of non-adrenaline. The Toronto outfit's third full-length album, Ongiara, breaks little ground for the Canadian pine-gazers, but somewhere between bandleader Tony Dekker's sonorous tenor and cavernous banjo there is a sweet spot that, when engaged, like on the lovely "Backstage with the Modern Dancers," "Catcher Son," and "I Became Awake," could melt the thin ice of Lake Ontario's shoreline in January. Like fellow sepia-toned Chicago collective the Pinetop Seven, GLS have a gift for melody and atmosphere that is nearly hypnotic, but where the Pinetop gang often shifts the dynamic and runs screaming into the forest, the Swimmers just kind of tread water, resulting in an audio experience that can just as easily infect the listener with drooping eyelids as it can repeated bouts of cathartic Sunday morning contemplation.
:http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com1. It was rad!2. Opener "Clay George":http://www.myspace.com/claygeorge is a fox in the way that Caetano Veloso is a fox. By which I mean a silver fox who wears a classy suit. (Also he plays lovely alt-country ballads.)3. Second opener "Great Aunt Ida":http://greatauntida.com/ started with the songs I suggested in "my MOG post":/ookpik/blog_post/30054. Point fo...
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I just picked up Ongiara, by the Great Lake Swimmers today. Haven't listened to the whole album, but the first song sticks out. I'll let it speak for itself.
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What's a good band name? I've discussed this a little with some friends, and haven't come up with a name I like a whole lot.I think it's tough to stand up to the repetition. Clever names suffer from the Be Sharps syndrome. Books, movies, and even albums don't seem to have this problem, perhaps because they have a theme to work off of. If clever's out, what's left? Maybe being informative. ...
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I love the Great Lake Swimmers for their folky, quiet, haunting, and wistful sound and lyrics. Here's a beautiful new vid from their latest release, Ongiara.Scheduled U.S. shows:June 5 Cambridge, MA; Middle EastJune 6 New York, NY; Joe's PubJune 7 Arlington, VA; IotaJune 8 Philadelphia, PA; Tin AngelJune 9 Pittsburgh, PA; Garfield ArtworksJune 10 Chapel Hill, NC; Local 506 June 11 Charleston, S...
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According to "http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com":http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com· Great Lake Swimmers are offering up a free 5-song live EP from their sold-out show at Toronto's Church of the Redeemer. Please visit http://tinyurl.com/2hx93v to download. *ARRGH FUCK ME, I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO THIS AMAZING EP!!!* And, also, I *MUY MUCHO* HIGHLY RECOMMEND The Great Lake Swimmers most excellent..
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What is this MOG business all about? How do I get people to trust me? Is this going to be something I become obsessed over and check constantly? Hahaha. I hope not. =o)Though I think it's a great music community network. Woohoo!
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:http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com1. It was rad!2. Opener "Clay George":http://www.myspace.com/claygeorge is a fox in the way that Caetano Veloso is a fox. By which I mean a silver fox who wears a classy suit. (Also he plays lovely alt-country ballads.)3. Second opener "Great Aunt Ida":http://greatauntida.com/ started with the songs I suggested in "my MOG post":/ookpik/blog_post/30054. Point fo...
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I was lost in the lakesAnd the shapes that your body makesThat your body makes, that your body makesThat your body makesThe mountains said I could find you hereThey whispered the snow and the leaves in my earI traced my finger along your trailsYour body was the map, I was lost in itFloating over your rocky spineThe glaciers made you, and now you're mineFloating over your rocky spineThe glaciers...
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I just picked up Ongiara, by the Great Lake Swimmers today. Haven't listened to the whole album, but the first song sticks out. I'll let it speak for itself.
More >
What's a good band name? I've discussed this a little with some friends, and haven't come up with a name I like a whole lot.I think it's tough to stand up to the repetition. Clever names suffer from the Be Sharps syndrome. Books, movies, and even albums don't seem to have this problem, perhaps because they have a theme to work off of. If clever's out, what's left? Maybe being informative. ...
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XPN is hosting the Great Lake Swimmers on Friday at the World Cafe Live. If you're unable to join us for the Free @ Noon concert, you can hear the performance broadcast live at XPN.org/listen.Great Lake Swimmers explores the worlds of indie folk, roots music and alt-country pop, with a focus on lyrics and the craft of songwriting. Their records are permeated with the lush natural reverb of vari...
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 "Ongiara")
