This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
WHO ARE THEY? Hailing from Gainesville, Fla., Holopaw are an electronic-enhanced alt-roots quintet led by singer/songwriter/guitarist John Orth. But the most important person in Holopaw’s story might be Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock, who teamed up with Orth last year in Ugly Casanova and then clued Sub Pop in to Orth’s other band.
WHAT’S THIS? Their self-titled debut album is one of the more distinctive roots offerings of late, thanks to Holopaw’s delicate and pretty yet compelling sound, which features lazy, shuffling Americana and chamber-folk gems elegantly decorated with subtle electronica twitters and squiggles. Factor in Orth’s ethereal, plaintive and vaguely British-sounding vocals and you end up with a disc that perfectly straddles the fence between time-honoured tradition and cutting-edge currency.
HOW DOES IT SOUND? Like Thom Yorke and Lambchop teaming up on outtakes from Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
