Great Lake Swimmers: New Wild Everywhere

[rating=3.00]

On their fifth album New Wild Everywhere, seasoned Canadian band Great Lake Swimmers continue to hone their indie-folk sound while exploring an epic grandeur that permeates both the musical landscape and lyrical imagery. Their contemplative melodies are accentuated by breathy vocals from frontman Tony Dekker, but the overall tone of New Wild Everywhere is that of richness in a decidedly slower pace. Unfortunately, the flashes of buoyant, uptempo songs occur in the first half the album, which leaves the latter part to drag, with repetitive song structures and arrangements that add to the inertness of the albums second half. And ultimately, New Wild Everywhere just doesn’t go many places that the band hasn’t already gone, and instead gives glimpses into the exciting styles of other bands and influences without elevating those for Great Lake Swimmers.

This music marries the aesthetics of new indie-folk with the late 1960s’/early 1970’s folk-rock revival, which placed a major emphasis on the importance of authenticity, both in instrumental skill and musical originality. It’s clear that this rhetoric fuels much of Great Lakes Swimmers’ musical approach, but their implementation of the epic song structure mirrors the trends in indie-rock in the late 2000s, as demonstrated by Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons and shoegaze culture. And when the Great Lake Swimmers are able to merge the two successfully, it’s quite enjoyable. The title track, for example, capture this beautifully, with airy vocals, guitar solos and harmonic catharsis that makes a rewind both necessary and rewarding. “Changes With The Wind” gives a sense of grandeur, both in ourselves, in others and the wide world itself. “Cornflower Blue” is more hushed and intimate, with flashes of banjo and a finger-picked acoustic guitar that conjure up romantic visions of a fireside seduction.

But it is their single “Easy Come, Easy Go” that feels the most radio-ready and easily digestible for the indie-folk squeamish (should there be any), but it also plays to all of the Great Lakes Swimmers’ strengths. Arguably the best song on the album, it takes the most strident and, quite frankly, fun pace, especially when compared with the rest of the album. It’s uptempo without being unimaginative, and there’s a palpable sense of joy that is translated over its four minutes and thirty seconds. The blending of acoustic guitar, piano and violin with relaxed male and female vocals makes this a stand out piece and an obvious choice for their single.

Those lulled into the slightly carefree, summery and ebullient beginning to the record, however, will unfortunately experience a sharp and perceptible drop in both the pace and quality after “Easy Come Easy Go.” The latter half of the album takes a distinctly slower pace that quickly starts to feel repetitive after a few songs, and is simply not as engaging as the first half. The songs lack a true distinguishable flow, which therefore causes a yearning for at least one or two brighter, sunnier songs to break up what seems like an overly-folksy monotony found on tracks like “Fields of Progeny” and “On The Water.” It also seems they may lack some sense of where to start their listeners off or end them. This could perhaps be a personal preference, though a sultry acoustic beginning followed by a more epic title track seems slightly out of place for an album of such attempted grandeur. It’s an album full of accessible themes, but without making many waves.

At the end of the day, or even the end of the album, so to speak, this is a record that is full of peaks and valleys. Listeners may find themselves parsing singles out for mixes and playlists over multiple full album listens here. Aptly timed to find it’s highlights on many a hipster/folk appreciator’s summer mix, New Wild Everywhere contributes a solid performance that, taken as a whole, leaves something to be desired– a new level perhaps, away from everything they’ve done before, or even a passion and vibrance that soars higher than what is found here. Not everyone has to push the envelope and redefine their genre, but five albums in it’s necessary to try some new things and display stylistic growth, because otherwise it doesn’t leave much room for exciting new adventures.

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