Long Time By

With Long Time By, their second album, Orso delivered a strange, eclectic, and yet very cohesive CD. The core trio of Phil Spirito (guitar, banjo, vocals), Gillian Lisée (keyboards, guitar, banjo, vocals), and Ben Massarella (drums) is augmented by Brian Deck (electronics, remixing) on the most experimental tracks and by Tim Rutili (guitar, piano), Duke Lee (electronics), Julie Liu (viola), and Kelly McCracken (cello). In general, Orso's sound is very laid-back and because of that related to post-rock aesthetics, although closer to Low than Tortoise. These songs have something of the feeling of a very depressive circus, jobless cowboys, and drug-induced sleepiness in the likes of Low. But they also have the quirkiness of Frank Pahl (yes, the banjo and harmonium sounds account for much of this impression) and a healthy dose of humor in their instrumental pieces. The writing could be described as "simple yet deranged." Added electronics, studio effects, and overall production put these 21st century folk songs in a surprising context. ~ François Couture, Rovi