There has been a consistent THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER. With the help of their incredible surfy and cosmic chords and unique, silky and smooth voice of lead singer Baden Donagal, Ocean Alley has been one of my favorite bands lately. Australian Broadcast Company’s music sub-company Triple J has been all over these guys. As part of Triple J’s “like a version” segment, Ocean Alley played “Baby Come Back” and landed themselves on #3 of the people’s choice top 100.
That “Like a Version” performance is really what put me on. I have a good friend in San Diego who would always go see them and talk about them but for some reason I was just not looking into them enough. I think we all sometimes struggle with finding new music… maybe that’s the point of this new blog site…
Their Album “Low Altitude Living” starts with a bang as the drums play an entry fill and as if they googled “most cosmic chord” the band comes in together ringing hard and true. In no way is the first song a simple listen at just over 3 minutes with plenty of modulation and syncopation that makes you wanna groove as the chorus builds. They follow up with “Double vision” which has much more of a yacht rock style but still enticing a psychedelic vibe. Oh shit maybe thats why its called “Double Vision”…
The album continues with a journey through all 12 songs even tapping into some Sound Garden-esque progressions and feelings on “Changes”. Over all I really enjoyed the curation of this music and can tell that they simply just love music and playing. Well done
They tour often and just finished a US tour but keep your eyes and ears peeled for new releases and upcoming shows. (We will help with that as well).
Basically, Im sorry for the year late review but if you’re looking for a new good band to get into, they might just be the one. Whether you’re driving around or staring at the stars or with your favorite person getting down, definately try em on!
*** I don’t really think to rate on a scale or anything because my opinion is no better than anybody else’s. So instead, comment and lets start a discussion about what you think!