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| 1 | Caballero | | 1:46 | | 2 | Pacific Hymn | | 5:09 | | 3 | Concerning a Duel | | 3:27 | | 4 | For Lydia | | 2:22 | | 5 | Estrella y la Luna | | 5:23 | | 6 | Olema | | 5:02 | | 7 | Our Separate Ways | | 3:49 | | 8 | Oh, Valentine | | 3:36 | | 9 | The Great Pacific | | 4:24 | | 10 | Spanish Steps | | 1:06 |
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tobeanecho
Digital
[Rating10298174]
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The bad: I liked Lost Transmissions a little better. That's really more of a compliment to that album, I guess.
The good: Pickering Pick writes often-gorgeous songs, songs that suck you into their world and inspire you to think about things. I realize that's a pretty boring description of the music, but it's hard sometimes to come up with more compliments regarding this music. It's very intelligent lyrically, but manages that without ever becoming pretentious. It's smart music that doesn't think it's smarter than anyone listening.
It really is music that almost serves as a dare to not reflect on things you've done, places you've been, people you know. Listen to "Our Separate Ways" and feel nothing. Give it a try. The opening moments of "The Great Pacific" whisk me away to somewhere I've been before, and the song takes me on that journey before ending in stunning simplicity that socks you right in the gut.
"Estrella y la Luna" is magnificent for many of the same reasons. "Concerning a Duel" is unadulterated poetry, and "For Lydia" is just a really good song.
It took me a year to listen to this album, which pisses me off. I could've been listening to this for the last year! Even if the 2008 album is the worst thing I've ever heard (which is highly unlikely), The Pacific Ocean cements Sam as one of my favorite artists. Period. |
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jsh357
[Rating13825458]
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Eh... maybe I'm just disappointed because this is following Lost Transmission, but this album seems like a bit of a regression to me. |
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elchriso
 That was passable, but barely
Digital
[Rating11384151]
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A nice and mellow album that I like to listen to to as I go to sleep. That being said, I would'nt say it's all that excitng to theese ears. I paticulary like the piano on some of the songs, it ives them a sort of beautiful quality."The Great Pacific" just sounds completely out of place to me. Here you have all theese songs that are just a guitar with some occasional piano, and then wham! All of the sudden a whole bunch new agey sound effects come. It's not nessecairly bad, just dosent fit in with the rest of the album, and what is with those drums on "Pacific Hymn"! They kind of remind me of a coke with all the fizz gone, wich is especially annoying since the rest of the album sounds completely fine. As I said, a few songs really just boil down to a guitar riff played over and over for 3-5 minutes. But I'll stop being so negative. Alot of theese song are really pretty, "For Lydia" is my personal favourite, why I dig it so much I don't really know to be honest. Hey it's free though, and will definatly be worth the few minutes of downloading time. |
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Kevvy
The Top Tier, The Hall of Fame
CD-R
[Rating9666941]
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Reviewing Pickering Pick albums, especially the greatest ones, is becoming more and more difficult for me to do. When Christmas time comes around and I'm presented with a bunch of gifts from my loved ones, I don't assign them star-ratings or rank them from best to least-best. No, I'm just appreciative of the gift.
The difference between a Pickering Pick album like The Pacific Ocean and a Christmas gift is that I'm pretty sure the artist wants us to rate and review is work as part of his desire to improve his craft, and to that I will oblige with a star rating that doesn't deviate from my normally stringy standards. The review, however, is another story... but I'll give it a shot.
The Pacific Ocean is definitely one of the most beautiful albums I've heard in a long time. The album truly feels like a breath of fresh air, and the muted electronic-sounding experiments are incredibly welcome into the classic folk atmosphere, making everything very easy to warm up to. Setting the intimate fireside vocals aside for a moment, The Pacific Ocean contains Pickering Pick's strongest instrumental tracks to date. The Pacific Ocean is one of those rare feats where both the artist and album in general sound comfortable in their own skin, but not comfortable in a sense that they're resting, I'm talking about comfortable enough to push forward and discover new expressive pathways.
When a new Pickering Pick album is released, it becomes a listening event that my wife and I share, both of us being appreciative die-hard fans. And this review really is just a long and winded way of saying "thank-you." |
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Popmachine
 11
Digital
[Rating9998174]
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this is the work of an extraordinary human being. heartwrenchingly beautiful. |
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crosseyedtokyo
Digital
[Rating9933559]
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The best Pickering Pick yet |
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StonedWallaby
[Rating9765824]
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That cover image is hypnotizingly beautiful. |
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Iai
 Like looking into the eye of a duck
Digital
[Rating9720762]
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My experience of The Pacific Ocean is, seemingly, much like everybody elses; this might well become my favourite Pickering Pick album (although I've by no means listened to them all yet). I'm not too sure about the basic electronic elements on tracks like the otherwise excellent "Pacific Hymn", but the material is his strongest yet - "Olema" being my personal favourite. |
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SeaBelt
 10/10
Digital
[Rating9679493]
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The first thing that registers when I listen to this album is that it sounds as if parts of it were recorded outside, (impressive since the production is crystal clear throughout). My mind keeps picturing a roaring fire in the woods, the gentle sound of crickets chirping in the late afternoon, watching the sun as it extinguishes itself on the horizon, and of course, I imagine gazing out at the wide blue green expanse of the Pacific.
Sam sings in a voice that reminds me slightly of Love's Bryan MacLean, yet with a deeper timbre, and a much better ability to keep in tune, however - there is an undeniable 'quivering emotion' that bubbles up from under the surface and this singing style in conjunction with the excellence of the lyrics casts all of the songs on this album in a light that I would describe as - honest poetry. "Concerning a Duel" is a perfect example of this; 'My best friend killed me with one perfect bullet. I saw the sky, I saw the sky living... as I died." It's as if the words are scrolling across a large movie screen... yet slowly, so that the viewer has time to absorb all that has been said, take it in, digest it, - and then anticipate what might come next. Captivating.
"Our Separate Ways" is a song that spoke directly to me, I have lived it, as I'm sure many have, and the tastefully played, wonderfully melodic use of piano really serves to underscore the inherent truth of what is being said. A beautiful and moving song that deals with feelings often not discussed yet always in the back of our minds.
I am impressed by the way in which different instruments weave in and out of the sound picture, and that the chords used here are all well chosen, never sounding overly simplistic or overly complex. Some of the songs extend past the five minute mark yet never once do I find my attention straying from the music, I sit transfixed - focused - completely absorbed by what I hear, and always... that hypnotic voice takes center stage. The vocals, or more specifically - 'the words' are the most important piece of this puzzle and rightfully so, they are without question brilliant from the first to the last.
There's something heartwarming about the album, it does not have what I would describe as a 'joyous' sound, and still - now that it has finished, I feel refreshed, lucky to have experienced it. The way you feel after meeting someone for the first time and after that first encounter, for whatever reason, you somehow have the inner knowledge that the friendship will last a lifetime. A connection has been made that causes you to smile and look forward to what the future will bring.
'I am only just beginning to know.' |
distribution | 0.5 | | 1 | | 1.0 | | 1 | | 2.0 | | 2 | | 2.5 | | 2 | | 3.0 | | 12 | | 3.5 | | 14 | | 4.0 | | 21 | | 4.5 | | 8 | | 5.0 | | 3 |
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Every gun makes its own tune | | Digital |
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come, we shall have some fun now! | | Other |
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rym
