[Free Williamsburg]

We also need to do penance for neglecting to mention Delta Spirit's Ode to Sunshine when it came out last year. It could be more aptly named Ode to The Kinks and Stones. And if you like either of the aforementioned, you'll dig "Ode to Sunshine."

Reminiscent of "Let's Spend the Night Together" Delta Spirit's single "Trash Can" is a good place to start.

For full article & downloads, go here:

http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/archives/2008/06/on_our_radar_th.html

[Venus Zine]

May 6, 2008, at Mercury Lounge

By Liz Schroeter

I’d first heard mention of the Acorn while at SXSW this spring. A Canadian friend insisted it was one of THE bands worth seeing at the festival. I failed to follow his advice while in Austin, but got my second chance on May 6, 2008, when the Ottawa, Ontario-based group made its way back down to NYC to play a few shows. Thank god for second chances.

The Mercury Lounge on a Tuesday night was not quite hoppin’, at least not as much as it would be later that night when veteran Sub Pop artists Love As Laughter took the stage. The modest openers that they were, the Acorn’s singer Rolf Klausener thanked everyone for coming out on a Tuesday when they could be catching a discount movie or something. “You fucking skipped Iron Man to see us pussies,” he gratefully exclaimed, quickly apologizing as only a polite Canadian would for his foul mouth. (Sorry Rolf, I know you didn’t want your mom to know, but we’re New Yorkers — you were speaking our language there! Fuggetaboutit!)

For all its delicacies, like acoustic instruments including ukuleles and wood blocks, the frenetic energy of the Acorn’s melodies still got the attentive audience moving. It was hard to not let the toes tap, the body sway, and the head bob when the band’s two drummers, Jeffrey Malecki and Shaun Weadick, built up the rhythm of songs like “Crooked Legs,” or when all of the band members clapped their hands in unison to the closing number. Sometimes bands have multiple drummers just to impress, but the Acorn uses it to full effect, creating a danceable, occasionally tribal beat that makes the songs sound like the band is rattling apart at the seams. I hate to make lazy other–Canadian–band comparisons and bring up the Arcade Fire, but both bands do share a playful energy, especially when all members start crooning along with un-miked “oohs” and “aahhs.” It gets under your skin.

On songs when the band slowed things down, the percussion sounded more like the clatter of wind through the screen door or branches tap-tapping on the window pane. Combined with the quaint melodies of the ukulele, it brought to mind the avant folk of Lullaby for the Working Class or any number of Saddle Creek Records bands. It seemed strange that a band from the Great White North could make music so sunny, so Americana. Then again, Neil Young was from Canada.

At times the tempo of the songs took on the catchy breeziness of the Sea and Cake. Other times , bassist Jeff Debutte backed up Klausener’s lead vocals with high harmonies; the Garfunkel to his Simon. Keiko Devaux, the band’s resident lady, took the helm at the keyboards for most of the set, taking turns also with maracas and backup vocals while guitarist Howie Tsui multitasked with an e-bow in one hand and a uke strapped to his shoulder. Live, the Acorn was really at its best when the pace picked up and every member of the six-piece band was letting loose on their respective instrument, which is exactly how they wrapped up their set at the Mercury Lounge — heads thrown back, mouths wide open, singing loud, music jubilant.

http://www.venuszine.com/

Opening song "Hold Your Breath" is also an apt command for the listener. "Glory Hope Mountain" positively rumbles with tension and release as jangly guitars often give way to thundering rhythms. The 12-track set is a narrative about songwriter and vocalist Rolf Klausener's mother Gloria Esperanza Montoya, who immigrated from Honduras to the Acorn's native Canada, surviving an abusive home. The lyrics poetically interpret her journey.

The initial beauty of "Breath" gives way to the fireworks of "Flood Pt. 1," an organic trip complete with hand claps, wood blocks and chanting. "Even While You're Sleeping," an otherworldly response to "Flood" features a floating vocal melody line dancing over acoustics and vibraphone.

The strolling pace turns into a trot on "Crooked Legs," with Klausener delivering lines like "washing the blood that has covered and stained me / oh to be fooled by the wool that has covered me / oh to be lead by the light of a melody" in his husky, quivering voice. The Latin groove and bowed bass of "Glory" leads into the similarly meditative "Oh Napoleon," which boasts shimmering mandolin and a standout vocal performance.

Thunderstorms return on "Low Gravity," a breathtaking collaboration between the group's other members -- Jeff Dubutte, Keiko Devaux, T. Jeffrey Maleki, Howie Tsui and Shaun Weadick. Montoya's voice, an interview recorded by Klausener, is the only one heard on the largely instrumental "Sister Margaret." "Antenna," which lacks a cohesive melody line, feels like the only throw-away. But the album recovers toward the end, with "Plateau Ramble," "Flood Pt. 2" and the closer "Lullaby (Mountain)."

The second "Flood" is a washy (no pun intended) slow number, with peaceful harmonies dominating the gorgeous landscape and female vocals that mirror Klauseners's idiosyncrasies and bring this holistic album to a satisfying conclusion. -- Katie Hasty

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/reviews/album_review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003788785

[Paste Magazine]

Let’s hear it for the oft-maligned concept album. This one, the debut full-length from Ottawa’s The Acorn, is dedicated to mom, perhaps a first in the annals of alienated indie rock. In this case mom is Gloria Esperanza Montoya (the album title is a rough translation of her name), and lead singer/songwriter Rolf Klausener wants you to know about her and the remarkable life she’s led. Employing a quavery folk tenor, indigenous Honduran instruments, and the occasional post-rock crescendo, Klausener and his bandmates offer a suite of songs about a woman who entered the world as a destitute orphan, endured domestic abuse and grinding poverty, and eventually made the long journey north to Canada. There are sentimental pitfalls galore in this approach, but Klausener mostly avoids them, offering impressionistic outlines rather than straightforward narratives, and keeping the syrupy melodrama to a minimum. It’s an understated love letter, and it’s a beauty.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/whitman/view/danny_federici/

[Chocolate Bobka]

Friday night at the Mercury Lounge held one of the best show lineups of the year, and while hard to neglect the hype, the show exceeded all things buzz, and may as well leap into the historical category. The evening kicked into high gear when Ottawa's The Acorn took the stage, performing an assortment of songs from their Bobk-approved Glory Hope Mountain. Their set, which began with "Crooked Legs", consists of a hodge-podge of musical arrangements that at times led to dueling ukuleles. It was clear from the get-go that Glory Hope Mountain comes alive on stage, with songs like "Bad Antenna" and the "Flood Pt.1" taking on a chugging train like quality that felt like Gloria's story jumping off the page and onto the stage of life. A rousing version of "Low Gravity" confirmed all my suspicions that this band is poised for big, big things in the future. Glory Hope Mountain gets proper US release this Tuesday, but we'd still recommend shelling out the extra loot for the limited edition vinyl, which, like we've said before, is one of the most beautiful records we've ever owned. It's that good.

Read full article here:

http://chocolatebobka.blogspot.com/2008/03/we-saw-acornphosphorescentbowerbirds.html

[Relevant Magazine]

When the Relevant Music Blog first came into existence, The Acorn was there. When we shared our favorite albums of 2007 with each other, The Acorn was there. But The Acorn was there in the form of hyperlinks and jpegs, informally sitting on the internet, on a myspace page and without a truly mutual relationship with the ReleBlog. Today, The Acorn is here. The latest MBG comes way of Rolf Klausener, lead man behind Canada’s finest indie folk band. They’re finally coming to the US for a few shows, and a proper release of Glory Hope Mountain will hit American shelves on March 4th (this Tuesday!). Let’s get to know Rolf properly:

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Dylan: Let’s do it Rolf, what’s your favorite CD right now and why?

Rolf: Boxhead Ensemble “Two Brothers”

It’s my “I’m-sequestering-myself-in-my-room-and-catching-up-on-reading-so-don’t-come-a-knockin’ ” music. It’s also nice for late night cuddles.

Dylan: I haven’t heard that yet, but I’ll definitely check it out. Tell us about the best show you’ve seen recently.

Rolf: SNAILHOUSE at the London Outdoor Living Arts festival, August 2007. Mikey Feuerstack is a dear friend, one of the funniest humans alive and an achingly sublime songwriter. That day, he confided that he had developed a polyp on his vocal chords that was going to require treatment and perhaps surgery; it was an upsetting confession to say the least. Later that night, he performed a heart-wrenching set of new songs and old favourites, all the while struggling to reach notes that never eluded him before, his voice raspier than it had ever been. Regardless, the set was outstanding and reminded me — not that i ever forgot — that Mike is easily one of Canada’s greatest, living songwriters.

Dylan: I’m really appreciating all this Canadian music history. Now how about sharing a nice tour memory?

Rolf: In no particular order:

i) Driving from Victoria BC to Revelstoke BC, listening to episodes of CBC’s Ideas and NPR’s This American Life.

ii) Breaking into the swimming pool at a hotel in Lethbridge Alberta at 3am.

iii) Playing to a sold out audience at Winnipeg’s legendary West End Cultural Centre.

Dylan: So Canadian (except the NPR part). But how about a philosophical/theological thought you’d like to share with the ReleBlog

Rolf: Eat meat.

Dylan: I like that. Are you reading anything interesting these days?

Rolf: - “The Elements of Style (Illustrated)” - Strunk, White, Kalman - improving my use of semi-colons, ellipses and paranthetical expressions. - “Japan: As Viewed By 17 Creators” - Various Artists/Authors - learning that the French and Japanese can get along and create gorgeous, graphic short stories. - “tropical truth: a story of music & revolution in brazil” - Caetano Veloso - I want to build a time machine, go back to 1968 and make love to Gal Costa.

Dylan: The Academy Awards are over, but what are you wearing?

Rolf: - plaid, flannel pajama pants, brown t-shirt from the Apollo club in Thunder Bay Ontario, and an olive green cardigan from AA.

Dylan: I’m glad that Canada can get down with the sweatshop free American Apparel too. Good stuff. Is there anything you’d like to say about Glory Hope Mountain?

Rolf: If anyone would have told me that I would have recorded an album that featured a sexy woman on the cover (in this case, my mother) à la Roxy Music or Santana, I would have laughed and pee’d in their eyes. Guess who’s got the pee-eye now.

Dylan: Well, this interview really teetered on some sort of obscene line, but I think we’ll be okay. Thank you Rolf.

http://relevantmagazine.com/releblog/music/mbg-the-acorn/

Who? Formed in Ottawa in 2003, the indie-folk quintet the Acorn consists of songwriter Rolf Klausener (also on vocals/guitar), guitarist/visual artist Howie Tsui, bassist Jeff Debutte, drummer Jeffrey Malecki, and on board from Montreal since 2006, Keiko Devaux on keys. Formerly on Kelp Records, the band's forthcoming second LP, Glory Hope Mountain, drops March 4 via Toronto-based label, Paper Bag.

What's the Deal? In the case of the band's principal songwriter, the Acorn doesn't fall far from the tree -- Klausener sings about his mother, Gloria Esperanza Montoya's voyage from Honduras to Canada, but it eschews fictional Decemberists-like narrative for one that is propelled by native Garifuna rhythms Klausener discovered while researching his mother's past. Tracks such as "Floor Pt. 1," with the pitter-patter percussion and airy guitar melody conjure images of Montoya's travels, while on "Napoleon," Klausener sings of his mother's distressing childhood experiences: "Will I follow you home again / Bite my tongue I taste your blood / I never thought I would bite hard enough" with his close-mic, intimate vocals. The undulating layers of string arrangements show much internalization occurred by all the members of the Acorn in Montoya's life story. It's almost folkloric.

Fun Fact: Last winter, keyboardist Keiko Devaux rode a live penguin down Montreal's Mount Royal icy slopes. TALEEN KALENDERIAN

http://www.spin.com/features/band_of_the_day/2008/02/080208_the_acorn/