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North Atlantic Oscillation: Grappling Hooks
 Bands from the wet and windy parts of Northwest Europe (such parts are many) often share a particularly evocative maritime flavour in their sound. The Scottish band - North Atlantic Oscillation - are no exception; their rich yet cool orchestration flows in concise moments of oceanic elegance. The appropriately named debut, Grappling Hooks, is a slow burning watercolour of ambient, rock and pop sounds that pulls the listener in with its gentle blend of musical shades.
The album combines soothing pop-harmonies, strident rock pieces, psychedelic asides and synth leads; all seamlessly blended into a unified whole. But its defining characteristic is the gently layered sonic textures. Stopping short of an overawing wall of sound; North Atlantic Oscillation instead favour an unobtrusive hubbub that waxes and wanes, given the sound a striking depth. This unified canvass gives the band momentum to build into songs in an unhurried fashion, and also serves as a counterpoint to the crashing drums, which cleave through the delicately poised textures with a refreshing simplicity.
Highlights of the album include the charming harmonies of 'Ceiling Poem' and 'Hollywood Has Ended' which builds from a gentle introduction, through a fuzzy throbbing electro section and ends with a crisp finale, with synth sounds reminiscent of Rush in their early '80s pomp. There is a little bit of padding towards the end of the album, where the band run the risk of falling into a repetitive formula and lose momentum a little. But they pull off a stellar recovery in the final 3 tracks, which bring the album to an enthralling conclusion.
This, then, is a powerful debut. Managing to simultaneously evoke the sweeping melodies of Sigur Ros and the restrained ambience of Eno, North Atlantic Oscillation manage to elevate the mundane to the beautiful, and they do so effortlessly. Well worth a listen.
Track Listing
1. Marrow
2. Hollywood Has Ended
3. Cell Count
4. Some Blue Hive
5. Audioplastic
6. Ceiling Poem
7. Alexanderplatz
8. 77 Hours
9. Star Chamber
10. Drawing Maps from Memory
11. Ritual
Added: January 28th 2011
Reviewer: Richard Wheelhouse
Score: 
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 3278
Language: english
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North Atlantic Oscillation: Grappling Hooks
Posted by Jordan Blum, SoT Staff Writer on 2011-01-28 07:08:24
My Score: 
Grappling Hooks, the debut record by North Atlantic Oscillation, is a wondrous experience. Fusing elements of post-rock, synth pop, electronica with fearless experimentation, it's surprisingly melodic and cohesive. However, as is sometimes the case, it is best heard in small doses; hearing the entire thing at once can be a chore.
The duo of Ben Martin (percussion, programming, synths) and Sam Healy (vocals, guitar, bass, saxophone, and more) met in Edinburgh in 2005. They spent several years fusing influences like Brian Wilson, GS!YBE, Blur, Orbital, Sigur Rós, The Flaming Lips, and Radiohead (of course) into a spectacular live show. They've also toured with Explosions in the Sky, White Dwarfs, and Everything Everything, to name a few. The result is a smooth combination of classic 1960s pop production, laptop programming, soothing vocals, and pure excitement.
With dissonant chord changes and a falsetto outcry, "Marrow" begins. Soon synthesizers go crazy and drums crash, and Healy's voice melts into the mix. With "Hollywood Has Ended," the duo proves that melodies and songwriting are just as important as wild electronic fanciness. Healy's voice possesses lush warmth; it's very reminiscent of recent pop greats Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) and Todd Casper (the Great Depression), and overall the album as a whole feels like a more structured Engineers record.
While most of Grappling Hooks sticks to a simple formula (catchy songs underneath outrageous yet ingenious production) that make it both accessible for English dance clubs and complex enough for deep analysis, some tracks are totally unexpected (in a good way). "Audioplastic," with it's manipulation of rhythms as well as effects, is rather progressive, and "Star Chamber" mixes the guitar riff focus of recent Porcupine Tree with the delicate piano of earlier Porcupine Tree, and the whole thing is wrapped in a hectic synth blanket. Nearly every second on here is fascinating.
While quite brilliant overall, Grappling Hooks can be a bit overbearing if listened to in one sitting. The heavy emphasis on electronica gives the whole album a similar sound, and while NAO do their best to make each track unique, the arguably unavoidable way it blends together equates to some repetitiveness and redundancy. Still, compared to similar artists, it's very diverse and intriguing, so NAO do it better than most.
Grappling Hooks would be a great album if it was done by a full band well into their career; the fact that it's a duo's first album makes it a tremendous accomplishment. Martin and Healy are a perfect team—they create and perform like two halves of a visionary whole—and they easily earn their place on Kscope Records fantastic roster. You'd being missing out on something special if you didn't give Grapping Hooks a spin.
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