Heal

I purchased this album after listening to it a few times on a streaming service and enjoying it. There are a lot of very good rock songs on here with a range of styles, and none that I'm compelled to skip. Best tracks are, in my opinion, "Goshen '97", "Same Emotions," and "JM" (an excellent homage to the late Jason Molina). So, 4 stars on the quality of the songs.But I'm writing the review to warn that this album, or at least every electronic version of this album I've heard (including the one I just paid to download from Amazon), is quite poorly mastered. It sounds like 192kbps MP3s. If you have a good soundsystem or headphones and care about such things, it might let you down in that department. Which is a pity, because some of these songs would be total eargasms if they were higher fidelity. I wish I had bought the CD/vinyl and ripped it myself to know for sure whether it's like that on the physical album, but I haven't encountered this with Amazon MP3 purchases before, so I suspect it is.

Found out about Strand of Oaks from NPR. Listened to a few tracks online and was blown away. Went and bought 4 cds on Amazon. I have barely listened to another band since June. Saw them live in a tiny venue in Santa Cruz amongst 40 other fans... they crushed it. This may not be everyone's type of music, but jeez it is mine. The songs on this album are amazingly different from each other. Someone said this was poorly mastered. I have been a musician for 18 years, and I felt that the recordings, even the older ones, were quite acceptable and was actually surprised at the quality for a lesser-known musician. LOVE IT. Wish more people did because this is original and amazing. Then again, I'll just enjoy it alone in my own little world. Thanks Timothy!

Excellent album. Reminds me a lot of the War on Drugs album that was released this year as well, but Strand of Oaks tends to have a more straightforward and rock oriented sound. What is really interesting about this album is the diversity of the band, who's songs range from driving rock songs (Goshen '97, JM) to 80's style synth songs (Heal, Same Emotions). Strand of Oaks songs are blistering, heartbreaking and intimate. The song writing is like an exposed nerve, and that sort of immediacy and intimacy really carries the album.I think that this is one of the best indie albums of the year so far, and would highly recommend it.

When the internet was in it's younger years, before Napster, before Y2K, MTV actually played music and Pagers were all the rage, we had to listen to most albums from start to finish. In some cases this was a headache, forwarding, rewinding and stop, rewind, forward and there is that song I wanted to hear, finally . But now I hardly ever listen to an album from start to finish...ever. But HEAL has brought me back to those old days again and I can't seem to skip a song. Thank you Strand of Oaks.

Bought this because i had heard the J. Mascis cut, didn't know the rest of it was all electronic, but i was pleasantly surprised by the great songwriting! If this guy would put some stringed instruments and a drum set behind his lyrics he would be onto something incredible! Having J. Mascis play lead never hurt anything either!

I heard a few snippets on KEXP, but not really enough to "hear' the album or what the music was all about. This album has grown on me immensely and is probably my favorite album of the last year. At first listening to it in a noisy car it was just kinda there and humdrum. Once I played it at home it really came alive. This album was clearly a cathartic act of songwriting and that unfiltered honesty seeps through to make some great music.

Writing specifically about the vinyl pressing, it's okay. I really loved this album and pulled the trigger on the vinyl a bit hastily one night. It sounds very much like a CD master, fair amount of surface noise and certainly wasn't flat when received. It isn't expensive but it really doesn't add anything to the experience of this album for me. I wouldn't buy this again on vinyl.

Every now and then you find an album that truly resonates with you, and this one did it for me. With soul felt lyrics sung with honesty and heart, accompanied by a crunchy and syrupy thick sound, this album touches some dark places while still reaching for the light of hope and redemption in the end. I'm so glad I stumbled across this little gem.

Really liked 'End In Flames' from a few years back, but most of Tim's stuff was a bit too quiet for my taste, but this is something else. From the opening guitar right through it is LOUD, but the songwriting still shines through. And if I'm truthful it's got me listening to the early stuff again, and then I play Heal again, and then the early stuff, you know what I'm saying... It's good, in fact I'm going to play it again now, see ya...

The sound quality feels thin and lacks weight to the bass. No energy to the recording. If there's better mastered copies out there I'd love to hear them.

i don't like a few of the songsi was watching a show (Songs: Molina) were Timoty was guest, so i had to listen to his own roduction

very good

Best cd ever