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If I listed the litany of bands that I hear contained within
the hauntingly beautiful music of Inouk (i-no-uk, I believe
is the syllable break out, which is Greenlander Inuit for "nobody"),
my entire review would likely consist of just that. As a sample
though, I hear Moody Blues, U2, The Beach Boys,
Yes, Supertramp, and the melancholy twang of Chris
Isaac's western guitar. Much has been said about how anytime
we Americans create a new form of music, the British seem to turn
it around and do it one better.
Well eat yer hearts out you silly, English, bed-wetting types.
This band is beating you at your own game. They've taken your
music and turned it into something that is a distinct piece
of Americana. This album feels like the musical equivalent of
well-worn, handed-down folk art.
Much as I would like to pigeonhole Inouk into a particular
genre, it is, as such, an impossible task. They may have created
a whole new one unto themselves. Best I can muster is folk-rock,
but it is so much more than that. It is rich, yet spartan. Dreary,
but upbeat. Driving and languid.
For those of you who always yearn for the next 'new' thing,
this is as new as it's been for quite awhile. My initial reaction
was a heavy-lidded, breathless "wow." As a music critic,
I lament the fact that the truly enjoyable albums that come
my way can really only be heard up until they are reviewed;
an endless stack of new material is always forcing its way into
the disc changer. I can at least find some small comfort in
knowing that the music of Inouk is so resonant that it will
echo in the halls of my head for a long time to come.
Or maybe I'll pretend I haven't written about it and leave
it in a little while longer…
-JD
Track Listing:
1. What I Want
2. No Danger
3. Elected
4. Father's House
5. Search for the Bees
6. With the Birds
7. Somewhere in France
8. Island
9. Cherry Orchard
10. Nudie Suit
11. Victory
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