Young Oceans- Somehow I Know it’s Love
Less is more
Every once in a blue moon, a band comes along and develops a sound so fresh, unique, and exciting that the only logical reference point is their own discography. Such is the case with Young Oceans, a collective of musicians spearheaded by musical polymath Eric Marshall. The music is a delightful mix of acoustic instrumentation, synth ambience, and occasional feedback distortion or grunge guitar. It also complements the lyrics well, giving the words plenty of room to breathe and inviting the listener to slow down and reflect on the prayer being sung.
Opening track “Living Water, O How Sweet” sets the tone well. Marshall’s lyrics here are spare and evocative, longing for the Lord’s relief over wobbly synth loops and an airy, off-kilter beat. Indeed, ‘longing’ is a common theme throughout this album, with just about every track echoing a deep yearning for The Lord in frightening times. Marshall has mentioned in numerous interviews how influential the Psalms are in his work, and the tension of the both the heavy and joyful outpouring of emotion is captured well. This is especially striking on the surprisingly groovy mid-album highlight “Go With Me”, beautiful music that belies his haunted ruminations:
When all we’ve known is shattered
Men will mourn in terror
Will you find me faithful
At your side
Go with me, go with me
Lead single “Somehow” is a vocal tour de force, beginning with a whisper and pleasant acoustic finger-picking that belies the intensity of the Psalm 107-inspired poetry. Once the pre-chorus hits, the whisper blossoms into a soaring falsetto as Marshall surveys the apocalyptic imagery and still declares “Somehow, somehow, I know it’s love”. It’s one of many arresting moments on an album bursting with creativity, and it showcases just how good of a singer he can be.
Marshall’s lyrics have always tended towards a ‘less is more’ approach, but this project is the most distilled and effective execution of that aim to date. Nowhere is this more apparent than my personal favorite: “Melt Our Hearts”. There are scarcely 50 words sung, but they are stretched out and meditated on to staggering lengths. Propelled by arresting synth oscillation and a catchy handclap beat, Marshall explodes the titular phrase into cosmic proportions. His voice builds into a wall of sound, acting as an additional instrument while ghostly background vocals amplify the urgency and power of his plea.
To put it bluntly, this album is terrific. After the aching beauty and spirit of peace reflected so wonderfully in their previous outing You Are Fullness, my expectations for the eventual follow-up were high. Somehow I Know It’s Love has managed to live up to those lofty expectations and more with the great melodies, catchy percussion, awe-inspiring vocals, and potent lyricism. This is an easy album of the year contender for me, and everyone involved should be extremely proud of it.
BONUS RECOMMENDATION
One of my favorite things that Young Oceans has been involved in is this electro-pop track called “All His Ways Are Right” by The Silver Pages (a collaboration between brothers Phillip and Paul Zach). The brothers Zach enlisted Eric Marshall’s vocal talents, and I can only imagine how good a full album collaboration between them would be: