Unheard Artist: The OaKs

I remember a month or so back, finding that I was posting a few too many slightly angry art student types making fast-paced rock/punk music. Luckily I found this band making lovely  gentle music to sooth soul.

Ryan Costello was still a student during Septmber 11th , inspiring him to join the Global Hope Network. And this is the sound of those years helping recently returned refugees in Afghanistan.

Further inspired by his time there he returned and started a band and created an album with his good friends and fellow musicians Matt Antolick, Naomi Schalm,  Jeremy Siegel, Greg Wilson and the hilariously names Tim Cocking. And from this evidence The OaKs have done a fine job.

They’ve spent the past year well, creating gentle melodic indie-folk that could be imagined as what would happen if Leslie Feist was replaced by Jose Gonzalez in Broken Social Scene, with the religious paranoia of Bright Eyes. Their music softly combines layers guitars, mandolins, glockenspiels, drums, bells, organs and often repetitive harmonic riffs from their own lips into making a big but non-confrontational sound. It embraces and lets you float across its sound-scape. Costello’s lyrics are simple, restrained but emotive. What do you think?

Download: The OaKs- My Father’s God [highly recommended]

The OaKs- Message From the Moon

The OaKs- The Sins Of My Fathers 

Hear more from the band

Second Opinion?