Beautiful and simple. Those are probably the first two words popping into your mind when you listen to Brooklyn band, Oceanographer. That wouldn’t be too far off either. Playing beautiful music was something the guys in Oceanographer were going for the entire time.
“Let’s just try to make songs, and not labor over something difficult,” says lead guitar player Kevin Plessner, “simplicity is kind of cool, [but] even though the parts might be simple, the understanding behind it is very complex.”
Jeremy Yocum (lead vocals/guitar), Eric Elterman (synths/mandocaster), Zach Eichenhorn (drums) and the recently departed Ryan Goolsby (bass) join Kevin in Oceanographer.
Even though the band is in a slight period of transition, there’s nothing wrong with marveling at the intensely pretty music they’ve conjured up. Songs like ‘Lightning’ and ‘When December Comes’ wash over you with equal parts tranquility, splendor, and precision.
Together the four, soon to be five, members of the band combine to create an interlocking music box full of harmonies and melodies, serene enough to feel as though they might just float away before you can really grasp them. Impeccably tuneful vocals from Jeremy really bring everything home.
“It’s a testament to how well crafted the songs are, we’re all cognizant of different parts and where everything fits,” says Zach. “We’re definitely about crafting songs,” adds Jeremy.
Yet what’s most interesting about the band, is that they always seem to know how to hit those ‘just right’ moments. “To me the notes that we play,” says Kevin, “feel like the right notes and I love that.”
All of this comes from the band’s excellent ability to play off one another, never using a song to showboat or take away from anyone else. “We’re all very humble about our parts. Down to the point where if someone doesn’t like a lyric I’m singing then I’ll change it,” says Jeremy. “When we write parts it’s not ‘how can I show off’ but ‘how can I make the song better?’” adds Eric.
After playing their first show on July 15th, 2001, Oceanographer has gone through a bunch of different stages, including a break-up in 2006. But, luckily for listeners everywhere, Oceanographer got back together in 2009 and they seem to be doing better than ever.
“The musicians I’m playing with are the best musicians I’ve ever played with,” says Jeremy. Jeremy isn’t alone in his sentiment either. “I’m frequently humbled that I get to play with musicians of this level. We’ve all become better musicians because of each other.” Even the recently departed Ryan, who moved to Texas at the time of this interview, “wrote some of the catchiest bass lines I’ve ever heard,” according to Jeremy.
Whether it’s their experience, their humility, or their considerable, these musicians just seem too good to make any wrong moves. Listening to the band is listening to a group that is more than the sum of its parts, and players who all embrace that idea. “We’re currently moving forward with great momentum,” says Jeremy. “[We all] just want to take it to that next big step,” says Kevin.
Check out Oceanographer here and here.
