Ofer - Short Story Long

Ofer
Short Story Long
Big Wheel Recreation
Grade: A-

Short Story Long is a record that continually grows on you. When I first heard it, I was pleased by the melody and harmonies, but certainly wasn’t stung with admiration. Yet, after more and more spins, I began to love it more and more. Ofer consists of one Ofer Moses, with the help of various backing musicians. Some might recognize Ofer from his days skating for World Industries, but that love has been traded in for the love of music. Now Ofer has channeled the gap that Elliott Smith has left, but with a bit more poppiness and upbeatness on his debut.

Short Story Long begins in non-dramatic form on “Submission,” one of the more full-band tracks on the record. While the chorus of “Submission” introduces you to the melodic package that Ofer is about to beat you with over the next nine tracks, it is not a standout. “Your Reality” follows in similar form but with more drum roll buildups. “Bothered” is the first track where the true singer-songwriter in Ofer begins to take over. Ofer tramps with acoustic guitar and bass for a bit before a full-instrumental chorus again demonstrates his penchant for big harmonies. But probably the first of song that Ofer places his own power-stamp, signature sound on is “On the Other Hand.” “On the Other Hand” polishes along in a quasi-trippy atmosphere that exceptionally echoes Smith’s best work and is a star here. For some unfortunate reason Ofer covers “Time in a Bottle,” a cover that you really need to skip. “Sunshine” starts out like a classic Smith track with a smidgen of Brit pop laden in places. The following “Bittersweet Fat” carries on in parallel fashion, though utilizing a bit more grand production. Besides from the instinctual use of harmonies, “Devil’s Winning Hand” is a bit ho-hum. “Recipes” and “Avenue of Mystery” close out the album. “Recipes” has a creepy, western dark theme that could have been penned by Johnny Cash’s shadowy mind. “Avenue of Mystery” brings the listener back to more sunshine and butterflies with an introduction of acoustic guitar, harmonic and soft vocals and then moves on to add strings.

Once again, Short Story Long is an album that might not grab you immediately, but will if you keep it spinning. You can’t deny Ofer’s glow and attraction and you have to eventually succumb. A perfect tour for Ofer would be with Sondre Lerche that would provide exposure he deserves.