Review Summary: Can I stop the boat from sinking? Look, you can see the shore
“I need human beings” Tim Showalter sings repeatedly in the chorus of “Slipstream”, the penultimate track on
In Heaven , and I can’t think of a better phrase to encapsulate this album’s message. In the midst of a continuing pandemic and a generally tumultuous time on Planet Earth, Showalter, under his Strand Of Oaks moniker (with help from a cast of prominent musicians, including members of My Morning Jacket and The Smashing Pumpkins) has chosen to take a positive direction, highlighting the resilience of humanity despite lyrics which lean heavily into themes of death and sorrow. At times, this album feels the need to find perspective and meaning with references to outer space and the heavens, leading this to be yet another recent Americana-ish record reasonably labelled as “cosmic”. “Along the way, Showalter mourns the loss of his mother in law, his beloved cat Stan, and John Prine, among others, even as the overall feeling remains life-affirming and even exuberant.
Strand Of Oaks’ music is typically identified as indie folk or Americana, and while those labels aren’t far off on
In Heaven , this is a record far to the harder-rocking edge of those musical styles. Indeed, it would be reasonable to identify this sound as “Southern rock” or even “modern arena rock”. Ear-catching guitar solos and soaring choruses abound led by Showalter’s satisfyingly soulful vocals are prominent, even as mellower folky/Americana-ish stylings are also felt regularly.
“Galacticana” is the album’s opener, and it represents a good cross section of the album, not only due to its upbeat, rock-oriented sound which sets the stage for most of the other tracks, but also because “galactic Americana” feels like a fairly appropriate description of the vibe which Strand Of Oaks is targeting. “Somewhere In Chicago” is the album at its quietest and most folky, and serves as a tribute to one of COVID-19’s foremost victims, the late great singer-songwriter John Prine. Meanwhile, “Jimi & Stan” is a simultaneously heartfelt and goofy song about Showalter’s deceased cat Stan rocking out in heaven with Jimi Hendrix. Finally, “Under Heaven” is the brief closer, a stripped-down piano ballad and message of love for Showalter’s wife, who recently lost her mother. In between the mentioned tracks, the quality of tunes is a bit varied, but most are enjoyably hard-rocking efforts with a reliable sense of groove, alongside periodically more dreamy moments which provide that sought-after “cosmic” feeling.
All told,
In Heaven is a mixed bag. There are few songs which don’t quite hold up to the best on offer here, and it doesn’t feel like the vision Tim Showalter aimed for was successfully executed in all cases (in particular, “Hurry”, the most elaborate on the tracks here, feels like a bit too much). However, on the flip side, the album’s message of acknowledging heartache and struggle while embracing a positive outlook resonates in this day and age, and (most) of the music presented here is quite strong. Ultimately this a very solid foot-tapping rock record with a side of shimmery cosmic Americana, as hinted at by the album artwork.
