Oleander and I go way back. Not personally – I haven’t had the pleasure of running into these guys but in the Spring of 1999, I was introduced to their debut album – February Son. I was in Spartanburg, S.C. visiting my sister, who was away at college. The first thing she said when I arrived, after “Hey, T!!”, of course, was – have you heard this song Why I’m Here by this band called Oleander?” Like all great older sisters, she already bought me a copy of the CD to listen to on my drive home back to Detroit. Even she knew how I could obsess over a record and listen to it over and over in succession if given the opportunity. Yep, you guessed it. THE WHOLE WAY HOME. I wondered what this guy was going through when he wrote these songs. Songs of relationships, some other than the committed one. The pain and regret that comes with such things. The fear of loss. The anger. It was deep. I couldn’t get enough.
By the time 2001 rolled around, Oleander’s next record was one of the most anticipated for me. They delivered in a big way. Unwind was a cohesive rock album that started off with a bang and didn’t disappoint as the track list played through my car speakers. (That’s what we did back then, man. We went to the record store, got the CD and jammed it in our cars.) This album remains my favorite record by the band – start to finish.
In 2003, the band released an absolute ass-kicker in Joyride. For me, the highs on Joyride are as about as good as it gets. This record had an in your face attitude and swagger that most bands wish they could achieve. I’ve said this numerous times – that record should’ve been HUGE. It seemed like the perfect mix of timing and sound – in the world at that time. The band combined straight forward rock riffs with some fuzzy experimentation. As I said a few lines ago, Unwind is my favorite start to finish, but if I’m in the mood to drive way too fast during the night – this is my go to album. It just kicks ass. I’m actually listening to it as I write this.
Ten years went by before we got a new Oleander record. Something Beautiful had eleven tracks that had that familiar Oleander sound, which was music to my ears. It wasn’t as aggressive as Joyride but it still had those moments (believe me, Fight – burns). But that’s not the most important thing. It had great songs and gave the band another layer of depth. Daylight is a good example of this.
So I decided to put together a list of my top ten favorite Oleander songs. This was actually more difficult than I thought it was going to be, going into this. I could easily make a top twenty and still feel like I’m missing something from the list. Last thing I’ll say is.. I miss their sound and I hope at some point they’ll release some new music. I seriously need to get Thomas Flowers on the podcast and talk about these records.
10. Something Beautiful – Something Beautiful: This song was the perfect mix of those evil-aggressive guitars and clean-effect driven guitars
09. Off & On – Joyride: The beginning of this song has one of the best riffs on any Oleander record. Bitchin’ man.
08. Down When I’m Loaded – February Son: I was becoming more and more familiar with drop D tuning from bands like Silverchair and Creed, but this one had a different flavor and just loved the verses.
07. Jimmy Shaker Day – Unwind: This ones a cooker. The drums are stellar on this track and the harmonies on words like “yellow” and “I know, in the end” make this one some much fun to sing in the car. Loudly.
06. 30 60 90 – Joyride: The theme to this album sticks out everywhere but this one gets the needle moving. Flower’s vocal on this one always gave me those Layne Staley vibes in the verses. Just great harmonies.
05. She’s Up She’s Down – Unwind: The pre-chorus on this song is one of my favorites ever recorded. “And the hardest things to do..” takes a rock song and takes is ultra wide with that organ dropped in perfectly. It’s just a great piece of songwriting all around.
04. Hands Off The Wheel – Joyride: What a way to start an album. It builds slowly and the payoff is pure rock bliss.
03. Are You There – Unwind: This was the first single from Unwind. It did well and was helped along by a terrific video that captured the bands energy in a live setting. Plus.. that riff.
02. Joyride – Joyride: This is the ultimate driving song. That menacing fuzz coming out of the right speaker is like the cars pulse as you speed down the highway. IT would be number one for me if it weren’t for..
01. Why I’m Here – February Son: This is the one that started it all. I’m not the type to put the “hit song” at the top of the list because it was a hit but this really is one of the best songs to come out of the 1990’s for me. This was my go to song for many, many years and like many people, I’m sure, I have an emotional connection to the song from life happening, at that time.
-Tommy Marz
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