Overview While
Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is largely considered Americana, it is sometimes referred to as
indie folk,
indie rock, or
neofolk, and its music spans genres such as
blues,
country,
folk, gospel, and
R&B; Miller considered Americana "a very formless genre", comprising icons of
American culture and contrasting artists like
Elvis Presley, Tom Waits, and
Neil Young, rather than associating it with folk music. The album invokes themes of redemption, apocalypse,
life and death, love, and religion; it has been compared to works resulting from the
Dust Bowl, with several
antediluvian references, and considered an unintentional mirror of the
economic woes of the United States and a loss of free debate during and after the
presidency of George W. Bush. Miller said it is about "
environmental decay and
social de-evolution and the death of morality". The album opens with quiet songs followed by louder and chaotic tracks, and closes with more solemn music—a deliberate contrast. Miller sings in
falsetto in "Charlie Darwin" and
modal voice in "To Ohio" and "Ticket Taker", before dropping to a lower range by "The Horizon is a Beltway". Bookending the album, "Charlie Darwin" and "To Ohio (Reprise)" respectively set and reiterate its eclectic tone with gentle music. Ed Miller of
Drowned in Sound identified the track listing as a "tapestry of American iconography": the
first settlers in "Charlie Darwin",
Midwest in "To Ohio", the "hobo spirit" of "Home I'll Never Be", and "a wild romantic heart" overall. Several tracks were compared to the work of other artists: "Charlie Darwin" to
Fleet Foxes, "Ticket Taker" to
Leonard Cohen, and "The Horizon is a Beltway" to Waits,
Bob Dylan, and
the Pogues.
Songs "Charlie Darwin" is musically minimalistic, featuring an acoustic guitar alongside Miller's falsetto and backing vocals by Prystowsky and Adams. Its lyrics juxtapose the hope of the
Mayflowers voyage with the brutality of
manifest destiny and
the diseases it introduced to
Native Americans.
Aquarium Drunkards Mik Davis observed the song "laments being on a voyage and how even the brightest promise can be dimmed by directionlessness".
Pastes Josh Jackson viewed it an attack on society's application of Darwinism, while
Uncuts
Allan Jones said it "imagines a drowning world, returned to water, a few sodden souls cast adrift on a sea of sorrow". Stevie Chick of
The Guardian described the song as "lachrymose and haunting", and John Fortunato of
The Aquarian wrote "Miller's trembled quiver stirringly haunts stripped-down meditational ruminations". Miller compared it to
chamber and choral music.
PopMatterss D.M. Edwards found the vocals of "Charlie Darwin" and "To Ohio" gentle and "breezy... melding together, floating away, and carrying warnings of decline".
DIYs Erik Thompson felt the opening tracks set a tone of warmth and intimacy that carries the album. "To Ohio" is about yearning for lost love and new scenery;
Aspen Daily Newss Jonathan Bastian described the melody as "regretful but reposed".
The Aquarians Fortunato likened the atmosphere of "To Ohio" and "(Don't) Tremble" to the works of
Nick Drake, emphasized by the variety of instruments against Miller's "solitary grief-stricken hymnals";
Uncuts Jones compared the former to
Paul Simon, and considered the latter a pledge of loyalty and hymn of reassurance.
WXPN's Bruce Warren felt "To Ohio" showcased the band's "soft and tender side", and
The Quietuss Tom Milway likened its imagery to a Steinbeck novel.
Uncuts Jones noted "The Horizon is a Beltway" envisioned catastrophe in its images of burning skylines and rotting flesh. Miller wrote "(Don't) Tremble" for a former band member who was consistently insecure about his work. "Ticket Taker" was described by
The Aquarians Fortunato as "poignant muzzle-voiced maunder" bedeviled by desperation and by
Gigwises Huw Jones as a love story recounting
biblical floods.
DIYs Thompson felt it alluded to the responsibility of guiding others through difficult lives;
Aspen Daily Newss Bastian considered it a "release" after the intensity of previous tracks, reinforced by the lack of lyrics on "Music Box". "Champion Angel" is the longest and loudest track, utilizing
electric guitars, drums, and roaring vocals.
The Aquarians Fortunato considered it a reinterpretation of
Delta blues, comparing it to the
Black Keys,
North Mississippi Allstars, and early
Kings of Leon, while
NMEs Leonie Cooper compared it to
Tom Petty.
The Aquarians Fortunato described "Cage the Songbird" as a
threnody reminiscent of the
Cowboy Junkies and the
BBC's Jon Lusk identified a similarity to the lullaby "
Hush, Little Baby" with its list of conditionals. Fortunato likened "OMGCD" to country and
Western music like "
Will the Circle Be Unbroken", while Leahey compared it to gospel music. == Release ==