Wild Sweet Orange – The Whale EP / 2007 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/wildsweetorange /
I guess Wild Sweet Orange is an act that has been making a name for themselves over the last few years. Through February and March they are going on a tour through the United States, so individuals have to be at least somewhat familiar with this indie-rock style. The disc’s first track is “Wrestle With Godâ€, and it links together the instrumental intensity of acts like Desert City Soundtrack with the alt-country stylings of Uncle Tupelo. While not that similar to bands pulling from a similar set of influences (acts such as Latterman and Lucero), the band’s compelling arrangements provide at least one thread of similarity with these two acts. “Tilt†(which is present here in an acoustic format) is a track that concerns itself more with the shoegazer rock genre.
The energy of “Wrestle With God†has been replaced with a timid approach that showcases each strum on the band’s acoustic. The band struggles slightly with the longer runtime of “Tilt†over “Wrestle With Godâ€, but Wild Sweet Orange are able to insert enough in the way of an atmospheric backdrop to keep individuals interested through the vast majority of the track. The band shines the brightest during “Be Carefulâ€, which links a very present bass line with a sixties outlook on music. The band shakes things up with a little bit of a nod to acts like The Anniversary and “Lifted-“era Bright Eyes. If this review seems slanted in the slightest, this is due to the fact that Wild Sweet Orange creates a new style of music – something that many bands do but few ultimately succeed at. Whether it is “Wrestle With God†or “I’m Coming Homeâ€, they do just that. Pick this EP up.
Top Track: Land of No Return
Rating: 7.0/10