Pacific Ocean Fire - From The Station To The Church We Are Under The Same Stars

  by Sarah Rowland

published: 20 / 8 / 2006

---

Review

Pacific Ocean Fire fit in perfectly with the multi instrumentalist stylings of bands like the Broken Family Band and the Akron/Family. Their second full length album, ‘From the Station to the Church We are Under the Same Stars’, is a melodic and cheery gem full of strong guitar riffs which are mixed in with a few sound clips and some unusual instrumentation. For a band that started recording on an 8 track in a spare room equipped with children’s percussion instruments Pacific Ocean Fire have come a long way but still manage to keep hold of their experimental essence. The band is made up of Andy Bennett, Jon Bennett, Ross Voce and David Fellows and together they have supported acts such as Laura Viers and Crooked Fingers. The album takes off gently on 'Summer Engines' with some sweeping lyrics and sweet melodies sprinkled with glockenspiel and harmonica. ‘Yr Name On A Tombstone Blues’ turns things up a notch with intervals of electric guitar and a sing-a-long chorus with some heavy drum beat backing. ‘Leaving Dusty Footprints’ is a beautiful acoustic duet with female vocals by Anjy Hall, sounding like a long walk in a country field. As the album floats along, every song offers a bright sing-a-long tune peppered with syrupy melodies and warm vocals. If you like the new folk experimental band scene that’s around at the moment you’ll like Pacific Ocean Fire. The band take a more delicate approach but jam out towards the end of the album suggesting there is still a lot more to come from them.

Track Listing:-

1 Summer Engines
2 Death on Yr Birthday
3 Yr Name on a Tomstone Blues
4 Honky Tonkin' Troubled Times
5 Leaving Dusty Footprints
6 When the Preacher Snaps His Fingers
7 An Arrow for Yr Heart
8 Lightning Strikes the Plane
9 Ten Years Is a Long Time
10 Roadsigns
11 Driving at Night