Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The planet and its inhabitants are not just mostly water, they rely on it, poison it, drink it and consume it; it is almost the ultimate in self cannibalism; drop by drop, sea by sea and Ocean By Ocean, we are awash with the truth of life and yet so few actually feel how open we have to be with ourselves to ever feel clean.
The Boxer Rebellion are not only aware of just how much the musical aspiration of the soul is tied up in the swell, the ebb and flow of the ocean as it transports itself across Time and feels the force of wind, they manipulate it and bring it to bear across their beautifully haunting fifth album, Ocean By Ocean.
It is in the charm of the journey that The Boxer Rebellion set forth into the latest of musically driven adventures, that with a nuclear driven engine being hidden away and the sails at full mast, the solid boom and full scale rigging catching the traded winds, the latest expedition is guided by transcendent light and a glorious tail wind buffeting the stern, unyielding and mellow galleon of pleasure.
The album steers clear of the tempest but isn’t afraid to set its sail against the raging storm, knowing which tides will pull it in a different and difficult direction, which thunderstorm tossed songs would dash it upon the rocks of fan’s indifference and which carry the album into a courage filled harbour.
Throughout the album the feeling of isolation, of missed chances and the probability of even greater riches to come thrive like a sailor being granted shore leave in New York for 24 hours only to realise he really is on the town. Songs such as Big Ideas, Pull Yourself Together, the exquisite The Fog I Was Lost In and Keep Me Close fill the air like a siren guiding the wary to the shore line, not to dash them onto the rocks and prosper at their demise but to make love to them with relish and then hand them back to the vessel.
Ocean By Ocean is an enormous album of intrigue, one that floats with genuine care and ease for the listener’s enjoyment, a full on ship of intelligent songs fuelled by design and apparent greatness.
The Boxer Rebellion is released on April 29th through Absentee Recordings/Kobalt.
Ian D. Hall