The Barnacles

"Inland & Otherwise" CD

Sheheshe Records

Genres: folk-rock, folk-pop, indie pop

band website

Nov 8 - 14 2004

Inland & Otherwise grabs you upon first listen and really wraps you in a warm, folk-rock sound.  The Barnacles' songs are immediately catchy, filled to the brim with wonderful, lush guitar lines and folk vocals.  However, as the album progresses, you notice two things - firstly, this is a fairly homogenous disc, with few differences between songs; secondly, these tunes don't exactly beg to be replayed over and over again.  While truly excellent releases demand a permanent home in your stereo, The Barnacles' style is a bit less memorable - while Inward & Otherwise can be enjoyed when pulled out and listened to, its songs aren't likely to be hummed the next day.

On Inland & Otherwise, The Barnacles come up with a few gems.  "Third Degree Burn" has a lovely sing-along folk-pop melody, and album favourite "Blue Sky" is dreamily beautiful.  However, the rest of the songs seem to blend in with the landscape - though nothing here is offensively bad.  Overall, this album has a bit of an Anomoanon-esque quality.  If you're a fan of the indie folk-rock genre, Inland & Otherwise will make for an interesting acquisition; otherwise, it will simply be a pleasant, occasional listen.

80%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 11 tracks, distributed by CD Baby, released 2003]