Rating: NNN
Whether it’s the charming faux naive narration in songs like I Live In A Loft Like An Osprey or the whispery interplay between Daniel Noble’s and Emma Baxter’s fragile vocals, there’s something that makes Orillia Opry more engaging than your average indie folk outfit. Pandion Haliaetus is a collection of whooshy tunes that’d sound perfect played on an old suitcase record player on a rainy day at the cottage, a kind of twangy driftwood soul that superimposes bass lines swiped from old Motown tracks onto feather-light strumming and rickety piano arrangements. The songs could use a little tightening up, with stronger vocal melodies to call attention to the deft writing (read the liner booklet to appreciate Noble’s lyrics) and more variety to make individual tracks stand out, but the disc’s sustained atmosphere suggests Orillia Opry have lots of potential.
Join the Orillia Opry at the Boat tonight (Thursday, October 12).
