Okay, this “Song of the Day” could also be “Album of the Half Year” practically.  Strand of Oaks has created such a wall of sound in the form of an album that it is ridiculous.  Tim Showalter has graced the pages of this blog many times and I am glad to have more of this guy around with his new album “Pope Killdragon”.  The song featured is “Bonfire”, but know that there are at least 4 other songs that could be contenders for best new music themselves.

The previous album from SoO was “Leave Ruin” and that was a fantastic album (still is a fantastic album) so we are not going to have a competition on what album is better as they are not the same thing – Pope Killdragon is the evolution of Strand of Oaks and it has grown in use of instruments, sound and energy, but retains what could be an intimacy that still connects you to it.  You can find yourself chanting along to the song Sterling (and you will when you listen to it) but you still almost feel like he is singing it to you (or you are singing it to yourself) on your very own dark night.  The album is and will be a contender in the “Best Albums of 2010” when it rolls around.  Find out for yourself by picking up this eMusic Selects title now by clicking HERE.

“Bonfire” – Strand of Oaks, from 2010’s “Pope Killdragon”

Visit Strand of Oaks on his MySpace, Facebook and follow him on Twitter.  Find previous SoO on La Société Expéditionnaire.

~Smansmith