Artist: Strand of Oaks
Album: Heal
Bitrate: 258kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: Dead Oceans
Genre: Rock
Size: 82.84 megs
PlayTime: 0h 42min 36sec total
Rip Date: 2015-01-09
Store Date: 2014-06-23

Track List:
--------
01. Goshen '97                       3:00
02. Heal                             4:05
03. Same Emotions                    4:29
04. Shut In                          3:21
05. Woke Up To The Light             4:08
06. JM                               7:23
07. Plymouth                         3:34
08. Mirage Year                      5:25
09. For Me                           3:04
10. Wait For Love                    4:07

Release Notes:
--------
From the first bars of HEAL, the exhilarating melodic stomp of 'Goshen '97' puts
you right into Tim Showalter's fervent teenage mindset. We find him in his
family's basement den in Goshen, IN, feeling alienated but even at 15 years old,
believing in the alchemy and power of music to heal your troubles. "The record
is called HEAL, but it's not a soft, gentle healing, it's like scream therapy, a
command, because I ripped out my subconscious, looked through it, and saw the
worst parts. And that's how I got better." HEAL embodies that feeling of
catharsis and rebirth, desperation and euphoria, confusion and clarity. It is
deeply personal and unwittingly anthemic.

Showalter was on tour, walking home on a mild autumn night in Malmo, Sweden,
when he first felt the weight of the personal crisis that would ignite him to
write HEAL. "It was a culmination of pressure," Showalter recalls. "My marriage
was suffering, I'd released a record I was disappointed in, I didn't like how I
looked or acted...so I'd gone on tour, I was gone about two years! I didn't take
time to think about failure, but I knew I was going deeper and deeper...I was
thinking, I have this life, but it's not my life, I haven't done it right..."

When Showalter returned, he wrote 30 songs in three weeks, a process that proved
difficult, but cathartic and at times invigorating. Previous Strand Of Oaks
records were more skeletal, raw examples of folk-rooted Americana with
occasional rock and electronic currents, that have now come to the fore. HEAL is
a bold new beginning, with a thrilling full-tilt sound that draws on Showalter's
love of '70s, '80s and '90s rock and pop, with the singer and guitarist playing
the intense valedictory confessor.

Crucial to HEAL's sound was the man who Showalter chose to mix the record, the
stellar alt-rock icon John Congleton. Showalter also re-connected with Ben
Vehorn, synth expert and studio engineer extraordinaire, and drummer Steve
Clements, who provides HEAL's thunderous, sinewy drive. Songs such as 'Shut In',
'Plymouth' and 'Woke Up To The Light' have a classic construction and mood,
recalling '70s power-pop/ballads and the yearning ache of Big Star's late, great
Chris Bell. Many of the songs on HEAL reveal an electronic undercarriage and
towering drums that push the album's wired dynamic to its stretching point,
especially on 'For Me', which expertly bridges the album's twin decades of
influences. And if 'Goshen '97' recalls the molten energy of Dinosaur Jr, that
actually is J Mascis on lead guitar. Despite the initials, the album's
smouldering 7-minute epic 'JM' is not a Mascis tribute, but to the late Jason
Molina, about having his music as comfort no matter how bad things get.

Which brings us to another crisis, this time much more serious and immediate.
HEAL was scheduled for mixing on Dec. 26, 2013. Driving on the freeway Christmas
Day, Showalter and his wife were involved in a car accident with a semi-truck,
and were fortunate to walk away with their lives. Showalter suffered a, "pretty
severe," head trauma, "which affected me much more than I realized at the time."
Fearing delays, Showalter didn't let Congelton know about it, so the mixing
session went ahead. "Being on the verge of death, and my thoughts being so
closely tied to that, changed the album's direction," Showalter claims.
"Together, we pushed it toward a much more cathartic sound that forces the
listener to where I was at that exact moment, somewhere between almost dying and
being absolutely fearless."

HEAL is not just a saviour for its creator, but for anyone who needs reminding
of music's ability to heal, or just thrill. Showalter is taking out a full band
to play, and finally, the kid who wanted to be a rock star at 15 might get his
chance. Finally, he and Strand Of Oaks have much to celebrate.



This NFO File was rendered by NFOmation.net

Artist: Strand of Oaks
Album: Heal
Bitrate: 258kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: Dead Oceans
Genre: Rock
Size: 82.84 megs
PlayTime: 0h 42min 36sec total
Rip Date: 2015-01-09
Store Date: 2014-06-23

Track List:
--------
01. Goshen '97                       3:00
02. Heal                             4:05
03. Same Emotions                    4:29
04. Shut In                          3:21
05. Woke Up To The Light             4:08
06. JM                               7:23
07. Plymouth                         3:34
08. Mirage Year                      5:25
09. For Me                           3:04
10. Wait For Love                    4:07

Release Notes:
--------
From the first bars of HEAL, the exhilarating melodic stomp of 'Goshen '97' puts
you right into Tim Showalter's fervent teenage mindset. We find him in his
family's basement den in Goshen, IN, feeling alienated but even at 15 years old,
believing in the alchemy and power of music to heal your troubles. "The record
is called HEAL, but it's not a soft, gentle healing, it's like scream therapy, a
command, because I ripped out my subconscious, looked through it, and saw the
worst parts. And that's how I got better." HEAL embodies that feeling of
catharsis and rebirth, desperation and euphoria, confusion and clarity. It is
deeply personal and unwittingly anthemic.

Showalter was on tour, walking home on a mild autumn night in Malmo, Sweden,
when he first felt the weight of the personal crisis that would ignite him to
write HEAL. "It was a culmination of pressure," Showalter recalls. "My marriage
was suffering, I'd released a record I was disappointed in, I didn't like how I
looked or acted...so I'd gone on tour, I was gone about two years! I didn't take
time to think about failure, but I knew I was going deeper and deeper...I was
thinking, I have this life, but it's not my life, I haven't done it right..."

When Showalter returned, he wrote 30 songs in three weeks, a process that proved
difficult, but cathartic and at times invigorating. Previous Strand Of Oaks
records were more skeletal, raw examples of folk-rooted Americana with
occasional rock and electronic currents, that have now come to the fore. HEAL is
a bold new beginning, with a thrilling full-tilt sound that draws on Showalter's
love of '70s, '80s and '90s rock and pop, with the singer and guitarist playing
the intense valedictory confessor.

Crucial to HEAL's sound was the man who Showalter chose to mix the record, the
stellar alt-rock icon John Congleton. Showalter also re-connected with Ben
Vehorn, synth expert and studio engineer extraordinaire, and drummer Steve
Clements, who provides HEAL's thunderous, sinewy drive. Songs such as 'Shut In',
'Plymouth' and 'Woke Up To The Light' have a classic construction and mood,
recalling '70s power-pop/ballads and the yearning ache of Big Star's late, great
Chris Bell. Many of the songs on HEAL reveal an electronic undercarriage and
towering drums that push the album's wired dynamic to its stretching point,
especially on 'For Me', which expertly bridges the album's twin decades of
influences. And if 'Goshen '97' recalls the molten energy of Dinosaur Jr, that
actually is J Mascis on lead guitar. Despite the initials, the album's
smouldering 7-minute epic 'JM' is not a Mascis tribute, but to the late Jason
Molina, about having his music as comfort no matter how bad things get.

Which brings us to another crisis, this time much more serious and immediate.
HEAL was scheduled for mixing on Dec. 26, 2013. Driving on the freeway Christmas
Day, Showalter and his wife were involved in a car accident with a semi-truck,
and were fortunate to walk away with their lives. Showalter suffered a, "pretty
severe," head trauma, "which affected me much more than I realized at the time."
Fearing delays, Showalter didn't let Congelton know about it, so the mixing
session went ahead. "Being on the verge of death, and my thoughts being so
closely tied to that, changed the album's direction," Showalter claims.
"Together, we pushed it toward a much more cathartic sound that forces the
listener to where I was at that exact moment, somewhere between almost dying and
being absolutely fearless."

HEAL is not just a saviour for its creator, but for anyone who needs reminding
of music's ability to heal, or just thrill. Showalter is taking out a full band
to play, and finally, the kid who wanted to be a rock star at 15 might get his
chance. Finally, he and Strand Of Oaks have much to celebrate.



This NFO File was rendered by NFOmation.net