Strand Of Oaks

Sometimes my heart has to tell my brain to stop being a dick and to look at the big picture.

You know, like refusing to drink tequila when you are 35 years old because of that one time in college you had too many upside down margaritas? Tequila is great, bro. Don't let that one time cloud your judgement.

Apparently, in my fucked up mind releasing an outstanding single off of a to be released album is a catch 22 because it places unfair expectations upon a band and an album. The better the song...the higher the unreasonable expectations....the more critical my judgement.

SO, when Strand Of Oaks released (arguably) the best song of the summer 'Goshen '97' it was clouding my judgement and warping my expectations. For some reason, I thought every other track on the new album Heal should sound like THAT song and be as great as THAT song. Forget the fact that the thousands of tracks that I've already heard this year don't even measure up to 'Goshen '97'. AND forget the fact that it'd be completely stupid of a band to not release the absolute BEST track off of their new album to promote said album.

I officially have asked too much of Strand Of Oaks (aka Timothy Showalter) and determined that the best way to bring me back down to Earth is to have my son whack me in the baby maker with his wiffle ball bat.

AHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh. That's so much better.

While it has taken me a while to put on my blinders and take 'Goshen '97' out of the equation, I've found that Heal is a pretty outstanding album. Sure no other song sounds like 'Goshen '97'. And now that I think about it again, not many of the 10 songs sound similar to one another at all; it's almost like listening to an epic Pandora station. Something about the series of songs is subtly familiar, but they all have a different flavor.

Take for instance the second track (that follows 'Goshen '97') 'Heal.' You go from riding in a convertible along the Goshen country side with the wind blowing in your hair, to all of the sudden, in the middle of the movie Trainspotting where everything is damp and dark. You are thinking 'where the Fuck did I get beamed to? Is Scotty drunk?' And then later in the album: 'Did my iTunes randomly jump to a The War On Drugs track? What's going on? Am I in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's?'

It's almost as if every track on the album is in chronological order of Showalter's life experiences. 'Goshen '97' was from the perspective of the high school dreamer and as the album moves on the listener realizes those dreams were never achieved due to failed relationships, seclusion, and ultimately lonliness.

Yet through all the changes in metaphorical scenery, there is this underlying darkness, hurt and unglamorous beauty. By the end I want to curl up in the corner, suck my thumb and cry because I'm not sure if his Showalter's heart is actually healed, but he sure is trying.

...That is until the album loops back around and Goshen '97 starts playing again.

WOOOOOOoooooo. Air guitars BRO.