Oakley Hall

Listening to Oakley Hall feels like coming home. There’s something about the rich songwriting, effortless guitar plucking and the magical harmonic synergy between Pat Sullivan (formerly of Oneida) and Rachel Cox that conjures instant familiarity. Picture a rootsier, less melancholy Fleetwood Mac and you’re halfway there. While nothing on I’ll Follow You reaches the heights of earnest loveliness that Second Guessing’s "Adalina Roselma LaPage” did, "Angela” comes admirably close. The frenzied Middle Eastern-meets-Western "Alive Among Thieves” and "Best Of Luck” are also standouts, the latter containing a jangle-y chorus that makes me nostalgic for indie rock’s early heyday. The folksy, borderline medieval "Take My Hands, We’re Free” is a comforting closer that goes down like an aural splash of whiskey in hot cocoa.