Strand of Oaks Reaches for the Cosmos on In Heaven

Refreshed from a relocation to Austin, Tim Showalter has made another great record

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One of my favorite movements that the music industry has gone through recently is championing the idea of self-care. Whether it was Open Eagle Mike doing it for the hip hop scene on one of the best records of 2020, or my interview with Jay Maike of Deth Rali discussing the healing power of music, it’s a constant theme in albums that reach out to me.

The story that I have been following with joy is Tim Showalter, better known as Strand of Oaks, and his journey to sobriety while finding true happiness. This past week marked a significant step in his odyssey as he self-released his eighth album, In Heaven.

For over a decade now, Showalter has been releasing albums of heartfelt singer-songwriter material that can lean into stadium-ready classic rock licks under the Strand of Oaks moniker, with his 2014 classic Heal sending him into the indie spotlight. Heal is one of my most beloved records of last decade, but 2019’s Eraserland with My Morning Jacket sans Jim James as Showalter’s backing band may be even better.

The genesis of In Heaven started when Showalter’s wife lost her mother in a car accident and lost his cat, Stan, soon after. Showalter quit drinking and left his longtime home of Philadelphia for Austin, Texas. The album is about the grief, celebration, and newfound strength that marked this period.

This time around, Showalter is again supported by Eraserland producer Kevin Ratterman, who not only plays some mean drum parts on the record but to whom Showalter credits his newfound positivity. Carl Broemel and Bo Koster of My Morning Jacket are back, with Cedric LeMoyne rounding out the band on bass. James Iha even makes an appearance on “Easter,” which is a pretty cool moment for a guy who recalled “singing Pumpkins in the mirror” on Heal’s “Goshen ‘97.”

From the grand opener, “Galacticana,” where Showalter recalls memories while growing up in Indiana, to the quick but delicate closer, “Under Heaven,” it’s a gorgeous outing. The best of these moments is the curiously beautiful “Jimi & Stan,” a song about Jimi Hendrix and Showalter’s cat going to shows and hanging in the sun while avoiding the anxiety and big issues back on earth. It also includes one of my favorite lines of 2021 when Showalter recalls, “back in life I wonder / why do we hang around so long / for me, it’s all the songs I haven’t found.”

Hendrix also shows up in “Horses at Night,” a classic Strand of Oaks acoustic piece that recalls “Daniel’s Blues” from Pope Killdragon, written from Dan Aykroyd’s viewpoint following John Belushi’s death. Showalter is great at throwing in pop culture references with “Horses at Night” detailing his internal struggle while noting that lonely aliens might hear Hendrix in the night.

“Hurry” is another highlight, a spacey David Gilmour floater that bounces around each movement’s orbit. “Somewhere in Chicago” features some wonderful slide guitar, and its refrain “the mist it calls back in the wind” pays tribute to John Prine, noting that “John is on a walk somewhere in Chicago.” “Carbon” may be the first Strand of Oaks song to feature violin, which is used to maximal effect as the track grooves around the string section’s snaking melody.

As grand as In Heaven can sound in moments, at its heart, the album is an intimate portrait of someone learning to roll with life’s punches without their addictive prop. I’ve always appreciated the honesty in Strand of Oaks, and this time around, there seems to be less regret and more happiness in growth.

In Heaven is an exceptional record, and I’m glad Tim Showalter invited us in.

In Heaven is available now on Galacticana Records.