Strand of Oaks
Pope Killdragon

Release Date: 2010 | Tracklist

Timothy Showalter's story is a tragic one indeed. After an intense break-up with his then-fiancee, his house burned down, leaving him homeless. He wrote his debut album, Leave Ruin, mostly on a park bench in Philadelphia. It's almost strange just how much Timothy was set up to succeed in the indie-folk industry. He's a twenty-something with a beard, an acoustic guitar, and a tragic back-story. He's like Bon Iver with sickness replaced by homelessness. With all that said, it's even stranger just how little he actually delves into the tragedies that defined his life on "Pope Killdragon".

"Pope Killdragon" is a modern day bard's tale. In a world where indie-folk is a strictly personal affair, inhabited by pussies trying to shed their demons with an acoustic guitar, Strand of Oaks decides to give a big 'ol "f*** you" to conventional folk songwriting. Instead of writing about himself for 10 songs, he writes songs about hanging out with John F. Kennedy and 12 foot tall monsters who's mother was killed in a bowling accident. On album highlight "Daniel's Blues", Showalter writes about Dan Akroyd taking the role in ghostbusters and then killing the man who sold the drugs that killed John Belushi. I could not make this stuff up, but Timothy Showalter most definitely can, and make it up he will. This is more of an imaginative 12 year-old's creative writing assignment than an indie-folk album. But that's why Pope Killdragon is so cool, in the nerdiest, best way possible.

Musically, Strand of Oaks is Bon Iver wearing a cheesy grin, and except for on "Giant's Despair" (a heavily distorted metal interlude), he does little to rid himself of that comparison. Timothy Showalter's voice is nothing to write home about either, but it does have that home-town, sittin'-round-the-campfire kind of feel to it, and it more then gets the job done. His musicianship, all comparisons aside, is really, really good. Songs flow smoothly from each other, and it never once gets is tiring. "Pope Killdragon" is one of those albums that feels shorter then it really is, not because of it being ***, but because of how well it all fits together. I just really wish that his lyrical creativity carried over more into his compositional creativity.

"Pope Killdragon" is a really, really good album. It's so good that it's down-right disappointing just how little the album touches greatness. I have made a lot of comparisons to Bon Iver in this review, and they definitely weren't unwarranted. There is a major difference between Bon Iver and Strand of Oaks, though. For Bon Iver, his darkest hour, and arguably, most musically inspirational. came in an old shack in the middle of a forest in Wisconsin. For Strand of Oaks, it came in a crowded park in the middle of Philly. In his shack, Bon Iver only had himself, and so he released an album about and for himself (technically For Emma, but I digress). Strand of Oaks, however, lived where many different shades and types of people passed by, and that influence is both his blessing and his curse. You see, Bon Iver will always write about himself and personal struggles, because that's just what Bon Iver does. By being able to write about other people, Strand of Oaks can weave incredibly fantastical tales of excitement and emotion. But, in doing this, he loses a key factor that Bon Iver possesses. If Strand of Oaks could incorporate a little more Timothy Showalter into his music, then maybe, just maybe, he will be able to ascend past goodness and into greatness.

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4 excellent

Rank: #75 for 2010