Made the Harbor is nothing particularly fresh or new; it does not make your ears prick up with a sound or style that you’ve never heard before, or make you feel like some great new moment in music is on the verge of happening; rather, its resounding familiarity and bare-bones melodies speak to something much older and deeper. Prettily crafted and perfectly timeless, it’s a wonder that the trio met at college in Vermont a few years ago rather than in the backwoods of some deserted old town early last century.
Made up of Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig and Amelia Randall Meath, Mountain Man was formed at Vermont’s Bennington College when the three students (all of whom had experience singing in church choirs in their youth) matched their voices together and decided that they had something strong going that they should allow to flourish. The result of their joining together is an album that stands out for its pared-down style, with the three women’s pristine voices flowing together over little else other than a complimentary touch of plucked acoustic guitar here and there. If you liked the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, chances are you’ll like this as well, although it has a much more northern wilderness feel to it, and a little more bite as well.
Songs like “Buffalo” and “Animal Tracks” allow the album to hit its stride right away with bright touches of high notes and weary, beautiful wails floating over more subtle vocals, mostly all of which are, on a surface-level, animal or nature themed. Considering that the three members did not know each other for long before they made the album, it seems serendipitous that their voices fit so snugly together, as though they had been working together for years. In the entire album there’s not even a moment where one voice overpowers or weakens another, making the only thing that’s ever tempered down the guitar—appropriate considering that the focus here is on simple harmonies. “Dog Song,” Molly Erin Sarle’s first song which drew the attention of the other two members, is particularly affecting and deceptively simple, with lines like “give me back my bone and maybe we can talk” adding sorrowfully defiant notes to the underside of fairly straightforward melodies. “How’m I Doin” is another gem, adding flavor to the general milieu with its more upbeat harmonies and a cheerful chorus of “How’m I doin, hey hey/ twee twee twee twah twoo!” It not only gives more character to the album, but it also lends a much-needed lighter side and up-tempo element that puts you on your toes for the rest of the work.
Aside from the respective natural vocal talents of each member, the reason that all of the songs on Made the Harbor seem to work so well together is likely to be found in the fact that all three members of Mountain Man have had experience in church choral groups, which lends a certain gentle and innocent quality to the music that plays nicely with the depth of the vocals and lyrics. Though the trio does not profess to owe their abilities to their upbringing, on songs like “Babylon” their penchant for angelic harmonies is undeniable. From the strong but quivering voice that opens the song to the perfection of the round that follows, “Babylon” has the best of both worlds and is probably the best example of why Mountain Man is a folk act that sets itself apart, even though their style is most often straightforward and unchanging.
On Made the Harbor, it’s almost as if the trio’s subtly defiant lyrics gain more strength because of their choral style, which manages to sound churchlike while never making their backgrounds obvious. On “Babylon,” “Dog Song” and several other songs, Mountain Man achieves respectable levels of calm folk smoothness, and while they might not be as fresh as other acts, their authentically rustic sound will make them a welcome addition to any folk collection.
Track List:
1. Buffalo
2. Animal Tracks
3. White Heron
4. Mouthwings
5. Dog Song
6. Soft Skin
7. How’m I Doing
8. Arabella
9. Sewee Sewee
10. Loon Song
11. Honeybee
12. Babylon
13. River Song
