Oakley Hall

Gypsum Strings

Brah/Jagjaguwar

Gabe Kastner (CHARTattack)

06/06/2006 10:54am

Oakley Hall certainly wrap an intriguing riddle around their music. On Gypsum Strings, they connote a mysterious aura by switching from back-porch, country-fried rockers and lonely-man lyrics ("Baby, what are you doin'/Leaving everything in ruin?") to mythical fable-type, female-sung weepers. They can also do humour: "What's up with Sadie?/Every time I'm lovin' her/She wants to be first lady/She expects me to be governor." In most cases the alternating — or mixed — gender vocals are supported with instrumentation that makes a statement of its own. Oakley Hall switch capably from Dinosaur Jr. rock squeals to gentle nouveau-folk instrumentation, frequently recalling the traditional southern rock and folk tendencies they seem to have their roots planted in.

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