Olio Township
"A Reasonable Exit" CD
Self-released
Genres: indie rock, folk-rock,
Americana
April 2006 |
I can't seem to find much information about Olio Township,
aside from the band's website and an unhelpful
CD Baby entry for this album. This seems strange, as these
types of records are usually covered by review websites en masse,
resulting in countless tidbits littered throughout Google's archives.
Regardless, OT play a brand of country/folk/Americana-inspired
indie rock with that old familiar quality that often graces such
records. The sophomore album for this group of musicians, A
Reasonable Exit, suffers from inconsistency but still comes across
as a decent record. The main problem is the presence of numerous
mediocre songs that tend to wallow too long in their own blandness
(abysmal "The City Song," mercifully short "Phobophilia" and its
nearly comedic vocals...), though there are also strong tracks here
hinting at something excellent. "Brussels Time" boasts a wonderful,
Sebadoh-esque melody and "Under The Barbed Wire" has a nice,
fresh feel. Often Olio will find something that works but milk
it too much, as on the strong but too-long "Root Hog Or Die."
Overall, this album has some good points but is weighed down by
several sinkers. Olio Township needs to extract the good from
their mass of songs, because at their best they can do some damage -
otherwise, they make no good impression.
66%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 11 tracks, distributed by
the band, released 2005] |
