by Nikki M. MascaliWeekender Editor
Amid big-budget marketing pushes behind many new albums lays Elephant Micah’s “Louder Than Thou.” Headed by Bloomington, Ind., resident Joseph O’Connell and featuring rotating members, Elephant Micah has flown under the radar most of its career to forage its own path, one that includes fans paying-what-they-can for a download of the album on its website.
O’Connell home-produced and self-released the six-song “Louder Than Thou” on his Product of Palmyra label, and there’s a decidedly intimate vibe to its tracks. “Tin Foil Continent” gives the first taste of O’Connell’s poetic and poignant lyrics sung in his breathy, sometimes warbling voice. “I am beside myself/ I am reflected upon a river’s bank,” he sings before electric guitar reverb takes the mostly acoustic song to a whole new depth without losing its prettiness.
You can hear singular strings plucked on the melancholic “Won These Wings;” a saxophone delivers a drawn-out, woeful bleat and an ethereal siren-like wailing plays softly in the distance. “My Cousin’s King” is more buoyant thanks to a lap dulcimer adding an Irish-like tinge. “If I Were a Surfer” is a simple highlight that features guest vocals from Kate Long, a member of The Hollows, another Bloomington-based band.
“Rooster on the Loose” is halting, musically and vocally, as drums stand alone, a cymbal slowly crashes and fades and a fuzzy electric guitar offers feedback. Closer “Airline Living” starts noisily and features great drum, bass and acoustic guitar.
“I’m living on an airline/ I’m looking for my laurels,” O’Connell announces on the track, but it seems he’s already found them — making his music his way.
Rating: W W W 1/2
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