Decoy Mile

It’s so nice to see some brothers that get along well enough to make music together. It brings some fanciful visions of Ben Oakley cleverly playing with toy vibes while Tim Oakley bashed out some beats on an old refrigerator box. Well, maybe not too fanciful as they keep things strictly DIY here, effortlessly popping enchanting lo-fi indie rock melodies out of nowhere. In fact, "Horizons Disappear” sounds greatly like the sadly-defunct Guided By Voices, to which the Brothers Oakley are also similar, as they seem to possess Bob Pollard’s extrasensory perception of kick-ass tunes. They can amaze with an energetic tune, complete with feedback and a driving beat in "Hands Tied”, or they can be a little bit alt-country, with "Noise Holds On” and "Old Bones” being especially choice cuts. None of the songs hang around too long, which, while whetting the ears for more, brings the unfortunate thought that the album never really gets going, leaving a potential feast being a mere sampler menu. A great gem of an album, the Decoy Mile, given the right opportunity, will no doubt unleash something in the future that will blow away everyone in the name of brotherly love.