On the Water opens with, well, water sounds (a boat?), and then an electronic drum rises up to deliver that all-too-familiar “Just Like Honey” rhythm. An accordion fades in with an understated melody, and the track begins to take form as a pleasant, low-key synth-pop song.
Then the vocals come in. Vocalist Samuel Herring sounds like Dan Bejar playing a Disney villain — “On the Water” sounds like a pop singer stumbled onto a Pirates of the Caribbean set and, for some reason I won’t pretend to comprehend, decided to channel both Morrissey and the Wicked Witch of the West in a showcase of cautionary new wave shanties.
Sure, I could throw in some references to New Order and Brian Eno (the music of On the Water itself is quite nice, shifting between rhythmic, danceable songs and Eno-esque synth ambience) and supposedly there’s some sort of overarching narrative to the whole thing, but I’m just too distracted by the dude’s voice to elaborate much. Worth a shot if you’re into toe-tappin’ synth pop with overbearing vocalists.
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