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Upon first listen, The One Am Radio's most recent effort,
This Too Will Pass, resembles the work of Elliott Smith.
But, this would be discrediting Smith's magnificent songwriting.
This Too Will Pass is sporadically similar in production
(double tracked vocals and lush acoustics) but mastermind Hrishikesh
Hirway is on a different path.
Hirway not only wrote the album, he also arranged the orchestral
parts and produced it. The result is a record that can boldly
be labeled "Jet Rock". It's a really good disc for a
long flight, much like Mazzy Star, Japancakes, or
Cowboy Junkies albums. Most songs lie just above a whisper
and frequently dip into instrumental breaks. The elegant song
"The Echoing Airports" only reinforces this observation.
Even the lyrics on This Too Will Pass speak about "sleep"
or "drifting" and seem to unapologetically embrace a
drowsy tone that carries from song to song…until you get
to track 8. "Fires" is the one exception to the "Jet
Rock" label and stands out as a dark, brooding eruption of
monk-like vocals and drums. Unless you omit this track from your
ipod, you'll most likely wake up 27 seconds into this song.
This Too Will Pass is an interesting mix of instruments
including horns, woodwinds, and programmed drumbeats. While some
songs like "Our Fall Apart" have a Radiohead
stuttering electronic drum pulse, others like "The Harvest"
are much more simple acoustic guitar.
Two standout tracks on this album are "Cast Away",
which suggests a place between the dream world and the ocean,
and "You Can Still Run", the story of a runaway. Both
feature real drums and breathy, close mic'd vocals very similar
to Neil Halstead of Mojave 3.
Although many of the songs are a bit drowsy, the whole album
retains a sparse, beautiful tone and is not void of character.
All of the songs are similar in tone, yet the brass, woodwinds,
strings, and Beach Boys' harmonies that pepper throughout
keep things interesting and differentiate each song. And even
if the album does put you to sleep, you have to give this guy
credit for having the balls to put oboe on a rock album.
-Jon Murray
Track Listing:
1. The Harvest
2. In The Time We've Got
3. Lest I Forget
4. Mercury
5. Cast Away
6. Our Fall Apart
7. You Still Run
8. Fires
9. The Echoing Airports
10. Coming Back
11. Your Name
12. A Brittle Filament
13. Where I'm Headed
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