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Pacific Ocean Fire “Pacific Ocean
Fire” (Smokeylung Recordings, 2005)
Date review added: Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Reviewer: Jeremy
Searle
Reviewers Rating: 
Leicester-based Pacific Ocean Fire’s second
album is their first for American label Smokeylung, which means that their
music is now much more easily available that side of the Atlantic, which can
only be a good thing. The album has nine tracks, five of which are the
entirety of their 2003 “Roadsigns” EP (no longer available), and a further
two are from their 2005 co-release with Don’s Mobile Barbers, leaving only
two new songs. Damn fine though this brace is, English fans’ purchasing
decisions will surely depend on the extent of their fandom, as few will buy
an entire album, no matter how good, for just two tracks. Leaving financial
pragmatism aside though, this is a damn fine album. On release I gave
“Roadsigns” 9/10, and described it as “music to clutch yourself to, music to
ache to, music to sing along with, this is simply glorious”, and time and
distance do not dispose me to revise that assessment now. The remaining
tracks approach the same level, with closer “Stalled Hearts” (one of the
newies), which has an unsettling, near-discordant melody that manages to be
both disturbing and catchy at the same time, being particularly good, The
music is sparse, intense, literary and passionate, and while, as with any
band, one can play spot the influence (Calexico, Lambchop, Flaming Lips
spring most readily to mind) their sound is their own. Plaintive,
passion-drenched, intense vocals are overlaid on sparsely brooding melodies,
with guitars, steel and brass layered in to create brooding, often troubling
music. The playing is exemplary, the production the same, and the overall
effect is simply beautiful. In fact, ignore what I said earlier, if you’ve
got all but the two new tracks buy it anyway, and if you haven’t, what are
you waiting for? |
