Our Brother The Native - Make Amends for We are Merely Vessels
by Jamie Rowland
published: 19 / 3 / 2008

Label:
Fat Cat Records
Format: CD
intro
Demanding and difficult, but ultimately worth the effort second album from experimental American art rock trio, Our Brother the Native
The title should give you some clue as to the nature of this album; you’re talking long songs (the shortest being 6 minutes), difficult music (style varies between Sigur Ros, Isis and everything in between, often in the same song) and with titles like ‘As They Fell Beneath Us’, ‘Trees’ (parts 1 and 2) and, my personal favourite, ‘The Multitude Are Dispersing’. To put it another way, you’re going to have a real good time. To be fair to Our Brother the Native, if you’ve ever listened to their first album, Tooth & Claw, you’ll know anyway that they’re not the most digestible outfit going, and presumably if you’re thinking of buying this second effort you’re the kind of person with the patience to meet the demands of such musical experimentation. It is certainly an interesting listen, and there are some very fine compositions indeed (‘As They Fall Beneath Us’ is a great, building track), but any album that exceeds 10 minutes on half the tracks is, in my opinion, asking a lot of their listener. Overall though, 'Make Amends…' is worth the effort. The best way to take this album is probably to treat it like an article you have to read for an exam – take breaks every 15 minutes or so, have a cup of tea or go for a walk and clear your head, maybe pop something slightly more listenable into the hi-fi for a while, then come back to it from where you left off. But I mean only do that if you really want to hear the album. If you don’t like the band you’d just be stretching out an unpleasant experience for yourself. That would be stupid.
Track Listing:-
1 Rejoice2 As They Fell Beneath Us
3 We Are The Living
4 Tree Part I
5 Tree Part II
6 Younger
7 Untitled
8 The Multitudes Are Dispersing
Label Links:-
http://www.fat-cat.co.uk/https://www.facebook.com/FatCatRecords
http://fatcat-records.tumblr.com/
https://www.youtube.com/fatcatrecords
https://twitter.com/FatCatRecords
reviews |
Tooth And Claw (2006) |
![]() |
Challenging, but rewarding debut album from young American band Our Brother the Native, the latest signings to eclectic Brighton label Fat Cat |
most viewed articles
current edition
Peter Doherty - Blackheath Halls, Blackheath and Palace Halls, Watford, 18/3/2025 and 21/3/2025Armory Show - Interview with Richard Jobson
Liz Mitchell - Interview
Lauren Mayberry - Photoscapes
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - Interview
Max Bianco and the BlueHearts - Troubadour, London, 29/3/2025
Sukie Smith - Interview
Maarten Schiethart - Vinyl Stories
Clive Langer - Interview
Kim Wilde - Photoscapes
most viewed reviews
current edition
Davey Woodward - Mumbo in the JumboNigel Stonier - Wolf Notes
Wings - Venus and Mars
Only Child - Holy Ghosts
Kate Daisy Grant and Nick Pynn - Songs For The Trees
Neil Campbell - The Turnaround
Philip Jeays - Victoria
Darkness - Dreams On Toast
Suzanne Vega - Flying With Angels
Charles Ellsworth - Cosmic Cannon Fodder
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart