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iTunes Review

Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers are really the brainchild of Tony Dekker, whose gracious, unassuming melodies recall the reflective pastoral dreams of easy-listening ‘70s AM radio. This flowing pop-rock with folk underpinnings is filled with gorgeous touches where harmonies coalesce with sweet, small-room accompaniment. “Everything Is Moving So Fast,” with guest vocalist Serena Ryder, may be the way the “band” sees the outside world, but nothing rushes the approach, which was recorded at leisure in community centers, churches and anywhere the acoustics sounded right. “Palmistry,” “Pulling On a Line” and “The Chorus In the Underground” reflect a folk-rock that could be R.E.M., Miracle Legion, 10,000 Maniacs or Winter Hours back in their mid-‘80s heyday. Dekker’s voice also shares the lonesome ache of Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis as the slow weep of “Concrete Heart” creeps over the horizon. Flute, pianos, pedal steel, vibraphone and violin are added where necessary to augment the otherworldly atmosphere Dekker seeks.