Wild Sweet Orange

We Have Cause To Be Uneasy (Red Ink)

By Erin Wolf
Published: July 17th, 2008 | 9:00am

The name Wild Sweet Orange may adhere to this Birmingham, Alabama band’s geographical origins, but sonically they lean more to the West Coast than they might care to admit. Conor Oberst-ish vocals complete the western plains influences, and the spaciousness and simplicity of indie-pop smacks of the upper Pacific Coast on their debut full-length We Have Cause To Be Uneasy. The first track, “Ten Dead Dogs” is a bit Sea Wolf, a bit Travis, a bit Ryan Adams, and even a little bit of the National: extremely poignant, disturbingly pretty, and sincere enough to spark instantaneous loyalty.

Vocalist-guitarist Preston Lovinggood and his crew (Chip Kilpatrick on drums, Taylor Shaw on guitar, and Garret Kelly on bass) carry an enigmatic quality in their music — never muscling, but always gently pushing the most delightful of pathos onto the listener, turning stories of hopeless devotion into melodies as huge as the night sky, sparkling with distraught guitars and melting vocals. “Ten Dead Dogs” finds Lovinggood telling a story, “I saw ten dead dogs on the side of the road / Driving late last night to your apartment / And I thought it was an omen / So I headed on back home and / Walked in circles ‘round my room,” his voice rife with uncertainty.

The sweetness-turned-angst of “Tilt” motions the album along into the slow dance of “Seeing and Believing,” acoustic guitars, and hi-hat tip-tapping. Accordion charged “Sour Milk” makes use of boy-girl harmonies, creating a sparkling atmosphere with its echo-laden vocals. For a debut, Wild Sweet Orange has made one helluva sweet entrance. West Coast sensibilities notwithstanding, Birmingham should be proud to call them their own.

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