Pictured: Poor sad man.
Who’da thunk? This will most likely end up being one of this year’s best soft indie/folk albums, and songwriter Tony Dekker gives credit to Canada as inspiration. The album’s title, Ongiara, is the name of the boat that carried the band from Toronto Harbor to the studio on Toronto Island where they recorded the initial sessions. Dekker says that Ongiara deals greatly with self-realization and revelation via one‘s relationship to his/her place(his place being Canada). I say, dude, cool your jets, man. It’s sweet.
Acoustic guitar, banjo and a few taps on the snare make a batch of ten truly melancholy songs. Ongiara is probably somewhat close to Americana, but with good in it, and Tony Dekker’s hushed voice is among the most instantly recognizable in indie music. On the surface he sounds warm and inviting, but to really hear this album is to hear how cold and eerie it is as well.
I’ve never been to Canada, but from what I can tell by listening to this album, it is probably a fairly beautiful place. I picture quite a few big, purplish mountains, small village-like towns, a lot of water and boats, and populations of saddened and inspired people.
Your Rocky Spine is the first track off Ongiara. It describes the landscapes and peaks of northern Canada and blah blah blah…
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