Review: Our Brother The Native - Sacred Psalms

Having never heard Our Brother The Native (Josh Bertram and Chaz Knapp, both performing vocals and various instruments) before I received a copy of their third full-length, Sacred Psalms, I had no pretences about their sound or style, but even now if you plonked a new album of theirs down in front of me I wouldn’t know what to expect. Sacred Psalms is a kind of luscious indie-folk-fusion. Utilising a raft of atmospheric tools and instruments (bells, whistles, steel drums, percussion, spoken word samples, field noise), global styles (there are hints of gamelan, bluegrass and arabic music, to name a few reference points) and literate, yearning, group vocals, Our Brother… have fashioned a very singular sound which is conceptually dark, but which glimmers with the light of its creators. Exceptional moments include the percussive bustle and euphoric chorus of Manes, and the banjo-driven Someday, with its rueful refrain of “I’ll find my way back home, someday soon.” An intelligent and intriguing album.

[Out May 11 (UK/Europe) on FatCat Records]

Our Brother The Native - Sacred Psalms @FatCat Records
Stream Our Brother The Native music @Myspace

Posted in Music & Reviews by Martin Skivington on April 14, 2009.

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