Wonderfully laid-back and bizarre. Howz that? "Off & Away" from Rocketship Park is like listening to three stereos in a haze of pot smoke - one playing Neil Young "Harvest", one playing Wilco`s "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and the last one The Apples In Stereo - at the same time. It works. Wonderfully, in fact. This album collects ten dreamy, cinematic pop songs, each distinct in its own right and infused with tinges of country, Dylan, and big hooks. Josh Kaufman is the project`s eloquent yet unassuming auteur, singer and songwriter, arranger, producer and chief instrumentalist. Like bands getting together in Laurel Canyon in the late 60s, The musicians in Rocketship Park didn`t answer an ad or apply for the job--instead, Josh gathered together his most talented and trusted old friends. As a result, each performance on the record seems innately dialed-in to the themes of friendship and family, life and loss that shape the lyrics. The warm, communal sound draws upon the musicians` shared experiences, sitting around, passing afternoons into evenings, switching one great record after another on the turntable, listening intently without saying a word. "Rocketship Park offers a sense of peace and nostalgia that grounds even the most anxious of listeners. Off & Away plays like a comfortable living room jam session, which isn`t too far from the truth. Kaufman originally played every instrument and recorded many of the record`s soft, acoustic, feel-good sing-alongs and catchy folk-pop ballads himself for what was to be an obsessively overdubbed solo album. Ultimately, though, he wound up inviting long-time friends to record the album with him live as Rocketship Park. The result is an organic sound that thrives on group performance. "Why?" Kaufman asks, "Because it`s fun and we like each others company." "Run Away," easily the album`s catchiest track, features an eclectic arrangement including pump organ, glockenspiel, coronet and trombone surrounding Kaufman`s signature twangy croon. The short and sweet two-minute pop song showcases the band`s ability to craft musically unique tracks that sport catchy melodies and strong lyrics, while still showing off the band`s relaxed approach." - Second Stage. ""If Wilco, Iron & Wine, Felice Brothers, and Head of Femur all got together and made a record, it might sound something like this. Warm, cinematic, country-infused pop songs fill up this debut from an unlikely source-a Brooklyn-based Americana group. All 10 tracks feel very calm and natural and nothing is forced or overproduced. Off is the perfect soundtrack for sitting on your backwoods porch drinking a lemonade in an old rocking chair-an aural treat for everyone." - Big Takeover. A winner, beginning to end and why the bearded, indie-rock intelligentsia has ignored this album is one for utter confusion. Normally, a record like this becomes a force in and of itself(ala Wilco-s "Yankee" come to think of it) and lives on for years. I`m doing my part here - now, you go do yours.
 Song #1 - mp3
Song #2 - mp3
Song #3 - mp3
Song #4 - mp3 |
