Oh Captain My Captain - Recklessly She Split The Sea
Releases November 10th, 2008
Annie Marie, the second track, first song on Oh Captain My Captain's, "Recklessly She Split The Sea", interrupts a cheesy intro, that couldn't be any worse if they had called it "Opening Credits"; oh wait, they did. Annie Marie is a sad pathetic song about a wimp. It describes a girl that cheats on a boy and of course he's devastated. He's so angry he says things like: "Baby take your time getting home tonight, cause you'll be alone." He really lays into her when at the end of the song he tells her: I don't want to be seen with you in public, there's nothing I can do with you. " Uh, she's in public with someone else, you probably should have written the song a couple months sooner.
Too bad…
These guys play like motherfuckers. The guitars, bass, drums, and vocals pummel you with perfection, not only in performance, which is remarkable, but, the production, which is exact and honest. The collaboration of piano and strings in addition to the band as a whole never sound forced or cluttered. They groove like no tomorrow. Yet, imagine Weezer without the irony, pretty bad right? Well there you go.
There are moments of beauty. Just about two minutes into "All My Good Luck" , the energy of the first six songs crumbles. Before this, it had built violently towards hope. At this moment it gives in. It hurts. You know exactly how it feels. Especially when the band slams everything around and turns hurt into adrenalin. The cruelty of both sides in a a relationship comes out in this song, especially if you've heard the connection song on this album. A song I hate, ("Annie Marie") becomes better, thanks to another song halfway through the thing.
They quickly ruin it with the next track.
"Don't Be A Hero" is a nighmare of excess that only gets worse by the second. Perhaps I don't understand, but shit goes to full suck, right about there, and never recovers.
Recorded at Cystal Lake Studios and with members of members of members of mebers of bands with mebers of people who are in bands with them.This album reeks of nepotism and incest. We should all be ashamed. It's our fault.
Songs to download: On My Mind [.mp3], "Annie Marie" , "All My Good Luck"
-Lorrie Ehin
Check out all of Oh Captain, My Captain's shows on pc-pdx.