A Fisherman's Favorite Dreams - whale tales

A Fisherman's Favorite Dreams

Whale Tales
BHR&.Co; 2014

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Matthew Alpaugh, Chris Peterson, and Angel Santana makeup the band These Are A Fisherman's Favorite Dreams. According to Alpaugh the band initially started off as something of joke in college that eventually mutated into what you hear today.The band wrote material, played live shows and released an EP Buffalo which was quickly followed by their debut full length entitled toil. Last February they released their most accomplished album called Whale Tales which is a rich, acoustic based album that revolves around seven songs that spew with emotion that feel genuine and very human.

The songs on the album aren't breaking any barriers and don’t try to. Alpaugh and friends are perfectly content refining traditional songwriting by injecting inventive lyrics and catchy melodies into the songs. Alpaugh has a deep  voice that covers the music in an earnest, melancholy  sort of way. I couldn’t but think of the character in the movies whose eyes have seen too much and only talks when he needs to. Alpaugh’s  no nonsense tone fits the music which douses the songs  in an Americana like nostalgia.

The album kicks off with “untitled” which has a slow “Heart Of Gold” type of vibe. It omits a warm concoction of  sounds that come from acoustic guitars, bass and drums. The song is well written but is coated with  melancholy and thought that is was an odd choice for an opener. “The Storm” continues with the same type of vibe but has more energy and momentum. The chorus is infectious and might have you singing along by the second time you hear it. Alpaugh sings “Cause the will is weak and I'm waiting on theses rainy streets for the voices in my head to all go to sleep”. The highlight of the album for me was the bluegrass inspired “diminished tune”. It combines a walking bass with a lead guitar that contains the perfect amount of reverb and crunch while the drums and acoustic guitar create the foundation of the song. 

“The Legend” is another solid song that introduces banjo and harmonica into the mix while “Soul to Save” amps up the energy level as well as BPM. The album concludes with “Interstate” which is sparse song with acoustic guitars and vocals.  The vocals as well as the guitar picking is well done and is an emotionally resonant song that was a good closer.

These Are A Fisherman's Favorite Dreams have a good thing going. Whales Tales isn’t perfect but has a couple well put together songs that showcases the talent of the band. Do yourself a favor and give the album a spin.

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