The One AM Radio

This disc sounds exactly like what you would expect a CD with a black and white grainy photograph of the ocean on the cover to sound like — despairing but melodic, the kind of songs one might dream of while lost at sea. Lyrically, singer/one-man mastermind of the One AM Radio, Hrishikesh Hirway, brings a substantial amount of nature and weather imagery into compositions that speak of and to the human condition. Additionally his soft hypnotic and sometimes haltingly uneasy vocals infuse a dreamlike quality into the very poetic words. The water theme is inescapable, even the slow strains of violins, horns and upright bass that complement the guitars and drums in many instances seem like active participants in the musical tides that strive to pull you under. Gorgeous as it may be, unfortunately the disc itself never strays far from the introspective and mellow (even in its more upbeat moments), highly recommended for a Sunday morning, a quiet evening with someone you love, or a late night drift into sleep.