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Get caught in the air
Written by Chet Williamson
Thursday, 26 June 2008

The Orange Ocean's new crush

By Chet Williamson

Listening to Dan Burke sing Brian Wilson's "Caroline, No," at Nick's on any given Friday night is reason enough to celebrate great local music. Hearing Burke sing his original songs with The Orange Ocean on the brilliant new release, Caught in the Air, should put the outside world on notice. Here is a talent to watch.

From the opening track of "Diamondface" — with its jangly piano, anchoring bass and rustling drums — through to the close of the album with the megaphone magic of "When My Heart," here is a record that rhymes with and completes the word "orange."

Caught in the Air is an ocean full of lush-love pop for tired ears in search of strong lyricism, smart arrangements, luxuriant vocal harmonies and finger-popping grooves.

On paper, the band is a piano-based trio with Burke on keys. Bassist Stu Pynn doubles on guitar and vocals, and co-authored eight of the record's nine tunes. "When My Heart" he penned alone. Drummer Kurt Dyrli plays a kit full of percussion toys and sings.

To help in their efforts, the group enlisted a host of musician friends, including saxophonist Austin Eisele, trumpeter Afro DZ ak and clarinetist Patricia Kirkpatrick, among others — including a string quartet on "The Love Within," arranged by Joey Newman.

The Orange Ocean — formerly Walter, the Orange Ocean — takes its cues from a variety of sources and, rather than engaging in being hipper-than-thou posturing, they proudly acknowledge and praise them. Echoes of The Beach Boys and The Beatles drift into the more contemporary sounds of Coldplay and Radiohead. Image

It all starts with Burke. He not only has a voice that would make Harry Nilsson smirk because of his ability to effortlessly break into falsetto, he is also one literate songster, with a knack of finding just the right backdrop for his telling vignettes.

In "Diamondface," he playfully works in a smidge of banjo strumming, organ roiling and triangle sparkles. His writing for horns gives them just the exact swell and fade. His lyrics reveal a hopeless romantic with a sunny sense of optimism. Consider: "We spend the night listening to Jonathan Richman / we play house and lose for fun. Shriek at the sunrise, I've been lost in your eyes."

The title track, "Caught in the Air," opens with "I feel the pressure rising in me now coming up / disorienting little butterflies across my eyes. I can feel the path to your place. When you're in love, you fly along the interstate." It's a shiny little pop track caught in the air levitating.

"The Love Within" is the album's most ambitious production. Written by Burke, Pynn and Newman, it wanders into the neighborhood of Pet Sound. Newman found the Ocean on MySpace. While trolling through looking for East Coast songwriters, the group grabbed his ear and he contacted them. One thing led to another and the next thing either of them knew, they were swapping ideas and tracks. What started as a fairly random exchange resulted in a four-minute magnum opus. By the way, Newman is following in his famous uncle Randy's soundtracks.

"By the Ocean" clocks in at one minute, 10 seconds but is rich in density and satisfaction. The multi-tracked, all-Burke a capella is his blatant homage to Wilson, especially in the escaping, ascending falsetto part that harkens to "Caroline, No." Recorded in his room on Castle Street, Burke magically captures the verdant harmonies that set The Beach Boys apart.

Without giving away any more of the disc's many delights, here's a recommendation: Buy the album. It is money well-spent and an aural adventure even better invested.

For more on the band and Caught in the Air, check out their MySpace page or visit their Web site at theorangeocean.com.