"Meet You There Review"

1978-2008: Thirty years of Oysters, and not the ones with shells. The Oysterband, instead, is the mainstay of the folk-rock scene. I've mapped their album progression, and each one becomes more and more influential, important, and musically deep. Lyrics always get more intelligent and the melodies require more time to soak in. Their newest addition, "Meet You There," is no excuse either. The reprisal to "Rise Above" never sounded so good as it does here. 11 tracks of variety.

I've heard it said there's no stand out songs, but the album as a unit is the best ever. I disagree, since I can name three or four remarkably catchy and thought provoking songs. Here's the lyric for "Here Comes the Flood:"

factories in the phillipines, cutting holes in brand new jeans, for cutting edge consumers, rick kids in the west you see, they have no sense of irony, and i'm losing my sense of humour, all across the moonlit sky, vapour trails multiply, trade winds are getting stronger, while he says she has to chill, they bring examples from brazil, new diseases from the congo,

(chorus) i havent prayed since god knows when, my teeth are un-american, socialism's often trialled, unimpressed, unreconciled some people think im crazy.... but im not here comes the flood x 2

a million tv dishes crown the skyline of shanty town, everywhere our apsiration, the word from cnn arives, we watched the headlines of our lives, each mooned in isolation, the cool blue line of isolation...

(chorus) to mark a seeth on planet earth, they rolled it out like astroturf, easy men theyre all in a hurry, so you can wear a stupid grin, watch em roll the bankers in, only the bad guys and ?? need to worry

(chorus)

here comes the flood x3 ----------------------------------------

This song is a wry political rant set to a happy jugband backdrop. It follows the album's soft opener, "Over the Water," my personal soft-toned tune in this album. I'm impressed more and more by the transcendence of their music. This is the most evident in the hugely standout track 3 "Where the World Divides." This song beats all on this album for its absolute awesomeness. I can't put it any other way, it's an experience. It's followed by the rockabilly "Walking Down the Road with You." I'm not huge on the folk-country sound, but I don't really consider this all that country as much as it's old-school folk-rock. you'll have to hear it to believe, but it follows in the footsteps of prior Oyster hits like "Shouting End of Life" and "When I'm Up."

This is where the album progresses to an even higher peak, not individually but as a unit! "Bury Me Standing" is easily the most inspiring song in the mix, with a slow shuffle beat and extremely tight vocal harmonies. The fiddle part in this showcases Ian Telfer more than ever, and therefore the song holds a very special place in my heart.

"Everything Must Go" is a cool pseudo-Phil Collins song that totally shreds apart anything musically in similar sound. Whether it's the guitar picking, the incessant drumming, or the vocal blends. I'd almost think I was listening to an educated Oxford Professor trying to write country music if I didn't know any better.

"Control" is a fun gospel song ranting against religious money schemes...like Joel Osteen...or Benny Hinn...and therefore this song is phenomenal. I guess maybe it's about time someone put them in their place.

"The Boy's Still Running" is a reminiscent and haunting number about what each album has at its heart: running from England, but still holding a deep love down inside. I guess everyone eventually returns home, but we're hoping that the Oysters do someday soon. I like the theme, but "Native Son" sort of promised back in 1997 that they wanted to come back...we'll see, right?

"Someone Somewhere" is good or its vocal harmonies and guitar parts. I'd dismiss as the odd-ball out if it wasn't so dang catchy. There's nothing unique to it actually, it's very typical Oysterband material. But the fact is, it's fun. I guess they need one song each album t just not have to think through and this sure beats Great Big Sea's "Oh Yeah."

"Just One Life" has a great melodic opening with the Cello. Chopper's style has improved and the overall feel of this song leans towards sea fairing, and as everyone knows, that's my shtick. It relates well to the album "Deep Dark Ocean" or "Rise Above" and thus it is possibly the second most standout track on the album. It's inspirational to say the least. It may garner the widest audience, actually.

Lastly, "Dancing As Fast As I Can" is a great slow ballad that ends the album fittingly. I've had their live version from their myspace for a while, but the studio version is tighter and more layered, as is the remainder of the album of course.

Now, the track ratings:

1. "Over the Water" - 9

2. "Here Comes the Flood" - 8

3. "Where the World Divides" - 10

4. "Walking Down the Road with You" - 8

5. "Bury Me Standing" - 10

6. "Everything Must Go" - 9

7. "Control" - 7

8. "The Boy's Still Running" - 8

9. "Someone Somewhere" - 8

10. "Just One Life" - 10

11. "Dancing as Fast as I Can" - 9

The Album as a unit: 10/10 !

Basically, if you want to hear some samples, hit me up.

Oysterband

--Tim