Some High Water Marks Press:
Songs About The Ocean. The sound of sherbert and acid fizzing in tandem drives this monumental example of NYC psych-pop. Helmed by the writing, guitar and vocal skills of Hilarie Sidney (from Apples In Stereo) and Norwegian Per Ole Bratset (from Palermo), the 13 cuts here are so vivid they give off an aura comparable to the Velvets. The Marks are not really generic power-pop, nor are they atypically East Coast. The best songs, like "Queen Of Verlaine" and "National Time", have total integrity—even their thrashes ooze melodic class.
-Uncut Magazine, Rating 4/5
The High Water Marks earn high marks for the title track as it flows like a power pop b-side from The New Pornographers. The song could be mistaken for two glorious tunes mixed into one but it still works. The same flavor is oozing out of the delectable “Poison Remedy” which almost coaxes you to get up and dance. “The Leaves” leaves a bit more to be desired with the shimmering, sunny California pop being the foundation of this ditty. The record also has a healthy amount of girl group pop in the vein of The Blake Babies as is the case during “Song For Emigrants” and the tender “Finding Clovers”. The airy pop feeling also lingers on “Early Fall” with its Matthew Sweet sweetness. Other highlights by The High Water Marks is the simple and elegant “Galaxy Galaxy Galaxy” but they definitely let their rock chops show on the edgier “Dutch Tape” that sounds like Sloan with Patrick Pentland fronting the group.
-Pop Matters, by Jason MacNeil
Songs About The Ocean. The sound of sherbert and acid fizzing in tandem drives this monumental example of NYC psych-pop. Helmed by the writing, guitar and vocal skills of Hilarie Sidney (from Apples In Stereo) and Norwegian Per Ole Bratset (from Palermo), the 13 cuts here are so vivid they give off an aura comparable to the Velvets. The Marks are not really generic power-pop, nor are they atypically East Coast. The best songs, like "Queen Of Verlaine" and "National Time", have total integrity—even their thrashes ooze melodic class.
-Uncut Magazine, Rating 4/5
The High Water Marks earn high marks for the title track as it flows like a power pop b-side from The New Pornographers. The song could be mistaken for two glorious tunes mixed into one but it still works. The same flavor is oozing out of the delectable “Poison Remedy” which almost coaxes you to get up and dance. “The Leaves” leaves a bit more to be desired with the shimmering, sunny California pop being the foundation of this ditty. The record also has a healthy amount of girl group pop in the vein of The Blake Babies as is the case during “Song For Emigrants” and the tender “Finding Clovers”. The airy pop feeling also lingers on “Early Fall” with its Matthew Sweet sweetness. Other highlights by The High Water Marks is the simple and elegant “Galaxy Galaxy Galaxy” but they definitely let their rock chops show on the edgier “Dutch Tape” that sounds like Sloan with Patrick Pentland fronting the group.
-Pop Matters, by Jason MacNeil
Songs About The Ocean is for those who’ve always wished Apples In Stereo drummer Hilarie Sidney contributed more to the Apples’ discography. Here, Sidney teams up with Norwegian Per Ole Bratset to create a set of shimmery pop songs. Recorded in both an Oslo hotel room and a Kentucky Studio (tracks were sent through the mail), it's amazing how well this album holds together. Bratset's Nordic accent complements Sidney's sweet voice and well-developed pop sensibilities. When Sidney sings, "Time is so short, so feel everything," it's more than a trite sentiment or thesis statement — it's a small rebellion against modern alienation.
-Chart Attack, By Jason Hailman, Rating: 4/5
The High Water Marks, Polar Not to spend too much time pitting Hilarie Sidney’s current band The High Water Marks against her previous band The Apples in Stereo … but for all the praise heaped upon the latter band’s new LP, the new, second High Water Marks album Polar blows it out of the water in terms of punchy pop energy. Super-catchy pop-rock songs are played loudly and quickly. The songs are awash in noisy guitars, and there’s melodies infectious and moving underneath. And often, bittersweet: “Early Fall”, especially, is perfectly melancholy, but much of the album has that same feeling to it. There’s a great moment in “Dutch Tape” where the noise cuts away, and then comes back strongly. Hope and sadness are both amplified in the music, right there with the band’s clear giddiness at playing. Sidney and Perole Bratset co-wrote all the songs (except two, from ex-Oranger member John Lindsay), and trade off vocals. For all the fuzz, Sidney’s voice stands more confidently in the mix than with the Apples, which only adds to the force of the songs. Polar is an exciting rush of energy, but there’s sweetness and sadness there too.
- Erasing Clouds, reviewed by Dave Heaton