[gtranslate]
Music

Oliver’s Army – Nothing Ever Really Stays the Same

Time yet again to duck, dodge, weave, and ultimately contemporary dance through the fast paced, existential, atmospheric and coma inducing music that is synonymous with the contagious band known as Olivers Army.

olivers army

A generously diverse debut album from Olivers Army will have you slow dancing to radiating joy from their uplifting tracks – appreciation from folk to alternative rock.

Hailing from humble Barossa Valley in Melbourne, the sound produced by indie folk singers Ryan Oliver and Sam Walsh, guitarist Gina Somfleth, pianist Tom Krieg, and bassist/ drummer James Roberts combined together is addictive, haunting, and ridiculously comforting. I got the warm and fuzzies big time people. And that’s coming from the girl who is going through a strong heavy metal stage at the moment (it’s been a long year, what can I say).

Olivers Army, although conveying frustration and sadness in places, carries a lovely nostalgia through their music with uplifting tones of warmth, safety, and hope. And it feels good, like a little dose of musical therapy. Just listen to them and rejoice, you’ll get it. The band also has a few releases under their belt, including the Olivers Army EP 2009, Olivers Army album in 2011, The Golden Tree single in 2013, and their most recent album release (August of this year) Nothing Ever Really Stays The Same. They are burning through a range of genres in this album – bits of rock, alternative, folk, and I swear even bluegrass manage to make their way to the forefront. Yet all are intertwined with the same eerie and calm sound they’ve successfully established throughout the piece.

Sung drearily by the lonely and deliberately slow paced Ryan Oliver, Let Her Go is a song that caught my attention on the new album. Lacking the repetition of a chorus to sing a long to, this song was a bit weird at first for me to get on board with but overall Let Her Go takes you on a journey of lost love and twinkling piano riffs. Albeit a long journey, it’s still quite a lovely one none the less.

Meanwhile songs like Lonesome Man, Cradle of Wood, and Hilary, Come On Home, take a sharp left turn in the album by seriously delving into the realm of plucky, sturdy, and gritty good ol’ country. It’s wonderful. With a sneaky harmonica snaking its way through all pieces and a strong and healthy guitar riff thronging it out in the foreground, all songs are grounded yet undeniably catchy as hell in their own unique ways. Especially when you take a step back and look at the album as a whole – you can’t be disappointed, not even a little, by the variety in sound and style it has to offer.

Needless to say Olivers Army are chill, on chill, pretty much on ice at the moment. With their familiar soft and creaky vocals, all around good vibes, and country dabbling ways, Olivers Army is a band you should definitely fight for. Want to enlist? (Disclaimer: Not actual army. Actually, musical revelation).

FIND OUT MORE ON

FACEBOOK BANDCAMP  iTUNES WEBSITE

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2804693220 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]