A gorgeous new album from a band firing at their creative peak.
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Music has become so vast, so full of creators it is perfectly possible to be ignorant of wonderful and amazing talents. So it was here, before the incredible ‘Who Laughs Last’ I was totally ignorant of this American band and their four previous albums.
Lord Huron initially began life as a solo project for guitarist Ben Schneider. The name is a reference to Lake Huron that he enjoyed visiting as a child. It quickly fleshed out into a full band, and they have gradually carved out a following and a quality reputation over the last fifteen years.
There is a love of image here that matches the love of music. There is a sense of soundtracks and cinema. It is no surprise that Schneider studied Visual Arts at Michigan and in France. Every music video is well considered with narrative and imagery.
Lord Huron confidently flit between genres and eras. They are a mix of rock, indie-folk, country and western with other things dipping into the mix. Opener ‘Looking Back’ is both measured and emotional, a quiet, almost whispered vocal set to beautiful shimmering guitar. ‘Bag of Bones’ is an instant timeless classic epic, a track that feels nostalgic, that you have always known it in some way. It feels utterly perfect.
‘Nothing I Need’ follows on just as strongly, a more joyous track that feels like a classic 70s song. Again, this is impressive, high-quality songwriting. ‘Is There Anybody Out There’ is the first non-single. It is a slower number but maintains the ridiculously high-quality.
Of ‘Who Laughs Last’ I wrote back in January, “A wobbling guitar line, heavy bass, clap along beat then Kristen Stewart starts talking somewhere between stream of consciousness/poetry/noir ramblings – eventually the chorus kicks in and it was all brilliant. Like a bizarre offcut from Death In Vegas’ Contino Sessions.” Still applies.
We get a lovely character study in ‘The Comedian.’ To this point the album has not put a foot wrong. ‘Watch Me Go’ is a touch more disposable, dipping slightly further into country music than anything so far. ‘Fire Eternal’ features the albums other guest spot, Kazu Makino from Blonde Redhead. Kazu and Ben trade verses before some beautiful harmonising together.
The album finishes on ‘Life is Strange:’
“Life is strange, so am I. I’ll be strange ’til the day that I die. Life is sad, so are you. That’s alright, we can cry if you want to.”
This album is an absolutely magical slice of classic sounding Americana. I already know this is going to on heavy rotation in my listening over the next few months. It will be up there at the end of the year. They are touring the UK in September; they just added a second London date so there are still some tickets for Brixton Academy on the 24th if you jump quickly.
Double vinyl: https://amzn.to/3GT5PxC
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