Albums To Embrace…..Lanterns On The Lake – Gracious Tide, Take Me Home (2011)

At this current time there is not a better independent record label in the UK than Bella Union. Over the years the sheer number of artists that have emerged from their warm bosom with staggeringly beautiful albums has been nothing short of remarkable. Affording artists from a wide variety of genres the freedom to express themselves as they wish has been refreshing, and the results of such freedom of expression have often been some of the best independent music released in the UK for the last few years. The roll-call of artists that are currently fostered by the label read like a who’s who in the indie, folk, alternative pop, and singer/songwriter world. The likes of The Low Anthem, Fleet Foxes, John Grant, Laura Veirs, The Kissaway Trail, Explosions In The Sky, and Midlake have all released some of the most successful and widely revered independent albums in the last 5 years. This has been backed up by their inclusions in numerous end of year album lists, that are shoved in our faces around this time each year by every music publication going. Lanterns On The Lake are another band that are keeping Bella Unions stellar reputation at the forefront of the British Independent music scene with the release of their first full length album ‘Gracious Tide, Take Me Home’.

Formed in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne five years ago, their sweepingly orchestral brand of indie-folk is a thing of stunning beauty. Having released two EP’s over the last couple of years in the lead up to this full album release, they gave a good taster as to what was to come on what is a compelling and  beautiful debut.

The album opens with subtle piano and strings, laced with glitchy electronica  beats, as lead singer Hazel Wilde’s spectral voice glides in and out of an increasingly addictive melodic refrain, which builds gradually with glockenspiel, rousing strings, and ghostly voices as ‘Lungs Quicken’ sets the albums wintry tone. As fellow vocalist Adam Sykes appears on second number ‘If I’ve Been Unkind’ the bands wonderful way with emotionally charged musical soundscapes really shines. The strings are prominent as they sweep around pretty acoustic guitars, piano, and mournful vocals, as once again the band are able to gradually build the song up towards the heavens with chiming guitars and stormy percussion. Already you can hear certain elements of Sigur Ros’ epic capabilities within their music, but rather than drawing the music out, they manage to condense it all  into less than 5 minutes.

The album continues to offer spellbinding melodies with ‘Keep On Trying’s’ laid back yet beautiful vocals, against a backdrop of gorgeously atmospheric instrumentation. Guitarist Paul Gregory who oversaw production duties on this album really captures everything perfectly and resists the urge to throw the kitchen sink at the production, instead choosing to gradually build these songs up with deeply woven melodies and reigning everything back in at just the right point. If this is his first time producing, then he may well become a familiar name based on what he has done with this album.

A more sparse arrangement features on ‘Ships In The Rain’ where just Hazel Wilde’s whispering voice features over the faintest of backings from a single violin and ghostly voices, as she sings some of the most affecting lyrics on the album about a sailor lost out at sea. “My body’s an anchor I’m lost to the sea, I look to the stars as the waves cover me, Its a beautiful night to behold, the most beautiful i’ve ever known, Ships in the rain i’ll see you again. “Whistles are blowing, they’re looking for me, like an orchestra playing as I sink to the deep, but this cold black ocean will know that this sailor will never come home, ships in the rain, i’ll see you again”

It is the shortest song on the album lasting only two minutes, yet it is also one of the most memorable and emotionally affecting songs on an album not short on heart-stirring moments.

The more upbeat and poppy sounding ‘A Kingdom’ rushes along over an urgent, shuffling rhythm with joyful violins and country-esque slide guitars, gorgeously drenched in reverb as the band push the button marked “Epic” as the song reaches it rousing finale.

The quality just does not let up as the cinematic  ’The Place We Call Home’ glides over more subtle electronica beats, coupled with a simple glockenspiel and piano refrain, with one of the best string arrangements on the album. This is followed swiftly by the equally impressive ‘Blanket Of Leaves’ as Wilde’s soft vocals effortlessly guide the song as it ebbs and flows.

By this point in the album, if you have been captivated by everything that has come before, the rest of the album carries you along much like the band name suggests. Never has a band name so perfectly captured their sound better than Lanterns On The Lake.

This album is another gem in Bella Union’s increasingly impressive stockpile. It is not an album that you can  just have playing in the background whilst doing the cooking or housework. It is an album to immerse yourself into in a quiet room, giving it your full attention and just letting the music wash over you with a good set of headphones or a decent sound system. Do not even think about listening to it on a laptop! With each listen it reveals more and more moments of brilliance, and it is a perfect winter album for listening to in front of an open fire, yet equally at home listening whilst trudging through fields of snow on a bright winters morning.  A truly spellbinding  album, that needs to be heard.

Albums To Embrace….The Thorns – The Thorns (2003)

The Thorns were a coming together of 3 successful singer/songwriters; Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins, and Pete Droge who produced one superb album in 2003 before disbanding and carrying on with their respective solo careers. Each artist had varying levels of success as solo artists but all were very well thought of within the songwriting community. The most well known of the three in the UK was Mullins due to his song ‘Lullaby’ being a surprise radio hit in the late-nineties. When they all decided to join forces, they set out to produce an album that evoked all the best elements of the late 60s and early 70s west coast music scene. The most obvious reference points were the likes ofCrosby, Stills, and Nash, The Eagles, and James Taylor but they managed to rubberstamp their songs with their own unique blend of harmonies and instrumentation.

For a band of songwriters so used to working solo, the results of this union were incredible. 12 beautifully accessible compositions and one cover version flowed brilliantly together, and was an extremely rewarding listen for anybody who managed to stumble across this album upon its release.

The albums lead single ‘Runaway Feeling’ thrusts the bands influences to the forefront of proceedings, marrying the pretty, sun-kissed, acoustic melodies of James Taylor with wonderful CS&N three part harmonies and a chorus so infectious you will be humming it for days after hearing it.

Runaway Feeling (Live Acoustic Version)

As the album progresses the strength of the songwriting becomes more and more apparent along with Brendan O’Brien’s lush production. O’Brien is one of my favourite producers of all time with a wide variety of albums under his belt by the likes of Pearl Jam, Springsteen, Train, Mastadon, Rage Against The Machine, and The Black Crowes as well as solo albums by both Matthew Sweet and Pete Droge. But his work on this album is probably his best, also contributing as a musician during the recording process.

‘I Can’t Remember’ is a laid back acoustic stroll reminiscent of mid period Eagles while ‘Now I Know’ is driven by a ukulele and bright keyboards with the three voices blending beautifully together. This is closely followed by ‘Dragonfly’ which will have fans of Crosby Stills &Nash’s more brooding moments salivating for more.

The albums most stunning moment comes in the form of ‘No Blue Sky’ filled with chiming guitars, melancholic melodies, and a sweeping string arrangement that packs the same sort of emotional punch as Train’s ‘Drops Of Jupiter’. The fact that O’Brien was at the production helm for that album too shows how adept he is at producing this sort of heart stirring, string laden music.

The cover of The Jayhawks song ‘Blue’ is an inspired choice and the songs natural melody and arrangement is almost tailor-made for a band such as The Thorns. They show their more powerful side with ‘I Set The World On Fire’ with its anthemic chorus, big guitar crashes and uplifting Eagles-esque vocals.

One thing I remember thinking to myself at the time of hearing this album was that I would love to hear all the songs in purely acoustic form. Luckily the band had foreseen this line of thinking and a few months later released the Deluxe version of the album, with a bonus disc of the whole album performed acoustically. This version of the album not only got the heart of the songs across even more, but also showed off the bands exceptional harmonies in their rawest form. The acoustic album was recorded live in the studio and had a more rootsy feel to it when stripped down. When listening back to it now, the more folk elements to their song writing are very much apparent, sounding like the spiritual forefathers of Fleet Foxes. The arrangements of the songs were changed to suit the acoustic environment and a few of them sounded even better for it. ‘Now I Know’ is even more sparse than the original, with a single ukulele and the three voices that are so clear you can hear every quiver and every breath by each member as they almost whisper their way through the song. It is at these moments that the Fleet Foxes comparison is at its most obvious. The acoustic setting also brings to life ‘I Told You’ where the bendy, fretless bass work is a great compliment to the three voices in one of the albums most memorable and hummable tunes.

The acoustic version of philosophical album closer ‘Among The Living’ is truly spellbinding, with mandolins intertwining with acoustic guitars and fretless bass, and the vocals are magnificent, full of emotion and showing just how well matched the three voices are. Simply put, if you are looking to seek out this album, you simply have to get the expanded version.

It is a frustration that Sweet, Mullins, and Droge have chosen not to reconvene and record another album under The Thorns name. Particularly given the renaissance this acoustic scene has gone through over the 5 years or so. While their style may well be rooted in the West Coast of America from the late 60s and early 70s, when it first came out in 2002 it was refreshing to hear that people were still writing music such as this, staying to true to the songwriting values of the era. If you are a fan of any of the above, this album will be impossible not to love.

No Blue Sky (Album Version)

Albums To Embrace…..Young Heart Attack – Mouthful Of Love (2004)

Every once in a while a band comes along that completely blow you off your feet. Young Heart Attack were one such band when they arrived on the scene in 2004 in the midst of the glorious whirlwind of nostalgia surrounding rock music at the time. While the likes of The Strokes heralded the return of indie/alternative guitar music to the masses in 2001, The Datsuns and The Hives heralded the revival of the vintage garage rock sounds of the late 60s and early 70s in 2002. That in turn also led into a frenzy of Classic Rock influenced bands emerging from the wilderness and into the limelight, as a genre that had been impossibly uncool for a number of years, suddenly became in vogue again. Before long the high street was saturated with “Vintage” band t-shirts, spearheaded by celebrities sporting said fashion, explaining how they had always loved The Ramones, MC5, Motorhead and Thin Lizzy when questioned on their attire.

Not that I was complaining at this sudden resurgence in a genre of music I held so close to my heart. Not having to whisper about the bands I liked to save ridicule was a welcome relief. What made it all the more exciting was the fact that it wasn’t the old bands that were leading the charge. It was groups of young musicians who were in their early 20s like myself, who had grown up with their dads record collections which had inspired them to form their own bands. In amongst all of these bands were Young Heart Attack from Austin, Texas. And they were really rather good indeed.

Their debut album ‘Mouthful Of Love’ was released on XL records in the UK in 2004 and was rapturously received by the UK music press. The band blended high energy Rock n Roll with huge musical hooks you could hang your hat on. The Boy/Girl co- vocalists of Chris Hodge and Jennifer Stephens really made them stand out from the pack at the time, with Stephens fast becoming something of a pin-up in rock circles.

Along with Hodge also playing guitar they were backed by a phenomenally powerful band containing Chris “Frenchie” Smith on guitar, Stephen T. Hall on Bass, and Joey Shuffield on drums. Their enthusiasm and rock n roll spirit was infectious and impossible to ignore. The title track and album opener ‘Mouthful Of Love’ opens at breakneck speed full of the rawness of Bon Scott era AC/DC and high octane guitar riffs, decorated with flourishes of Hammond Organ. Hodge and Stephens trade vocals on what is a phenomenal opening.

Better is to come with ‘Starlight’ which marries The Who’s stabbing guitars and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ influenced keyboards with one of the most glorious choruses you are ever likely to hear on a rock album this side of the new millennium. Stephens singing “I’m Alive!” over and over again as Hodge punctuates the lines with “Starlight you burn so bright!” shows just how brilliant the co-lead vocals work between them.

The pace does not let up as El Camino gives a heavy dose of southern rock boogie-punk with an atmospheric, woozy mid-section breakdown, along with Tommy Shots with its blistering fretwork from Chris “Frenchie” Smith. The album takes a breather at the mid point with ‘Take Me Back Mary Jane’ that sounds like it could be one of the laid back, front porch blues numbers that Jack White prolifically knocked out during The White Stripes early days.

‘To The Teeth’ raises the pace and volume up to 11 again with its ‘Communication Breakdown’ riff and punky delivery which segues directly into ‘Sick Of Doing Time’, full of uplifting “Hey, Hey, Heys” and fast, frentic guitars. As the album comes towards its end the high quality and consistency continues with ‘Over And Over’ with its exceptional breakdown and rebuild that sounds tailor-made for massive outdoor shows, and is one of the most powerful songs on the album. The album closes with ‘Misty Rowe’ which could almost be a signature song and probably encapsulates all that is great about the band in four and a half glorious minutes of balls out rock n roll with its thundering riff and the great vocal interplay between Hodge and Stephens.

Young Heart Attack – Misty Rowe (Music Video)

As an album it still remains one of my favourites released post-millenium. As with so many bands, label problems prevented them from capitalising on their initial success and after many struggles finally managed to get their second album ‘Rock And Awe’ recorded and released in 2007. While it had its moments, the title track in particular, overall it lacked that spark and fire that their debut had in abundance. For me I prefer to remember them for how they were in 2004 when their raw energy and spirit contributed to them writing a classic, high energy, rock n roll record that married all the best elements of the genre and condensed them into 34 rocket fuelled minutes.

Songs To Hear….Fucked Up – Queen Of Hearts (2011)

F*cked Up hail from Toronto, Canada and specialise in forward thinking Hardcore and Punk that push the boundaries of what are fairly limited genres in terms of their scope for musical progression and experimentation.

My first introduction to them was when their song ‘Son The Father’ opened up Series 3 of Skins in theUKin 2008. The song (which was very nearly the subject of this piece) was a fantastic piece of work coming from an equally impressive album ‘The Chemistry Of Common Life’ that was critically acclaimed the world over and won the Polaris Prize in 2009. It showed a band with ambition to be something a bit more than an underground concern. They had a knack with writing killer hooks for their raging and powerful songs as well as a meticulous attention to detail that was demonstrated by their layers and layers of guitar overdubs and subtle flecks of added instrumentation.

This year they released ‘David Comes To Life’ their third studio album and fulfilled their potential for the epic by delivering an 18 song rock opera, pushing the boundaries of their hardcore roots but never losing the qualities that had earned them a solid, loyal fanbase over the previous 10 years. It is a complex storyline about love, death, and redemption, but with frontman Damien ‘Pinkeye’ Abrahams screaming vocals it is difficult to decipher what is being sung about without the aid of a the lyrics in front of you. This does not detract from the enjoyment of the all out guitar assault of the album, driven by huge melodies and feeling rather joyous throughout. None more so than on album highlight ‘Queen Of Hearts’.

The frantic high pitched riffing introduces thundering, rolling drums that kickstart the songs descending guitar frenzy. The guitars are loud and in your face but also very listenable. Through the wall of noise you can hear each guitar part adding its own flavour to the song with Abrahams trademark sandpaper scream giving the song its hardcore edge. The songs chorus see’s the introduction of female vocalist Madeline Follin who plays the part of Veronica throughout the album and offers a soothing alternative to Abrahams ear shredding style.

The songs fantastic instrumentation is what really sets it apart. The guitars are drenched in soaring effects and as the song really hits its stride, the guitars take the simple chiming hook and run with it, like a train gaining momentum, until the songs end. It is commanding stuff.

Abrahams does have a love it or hate it voice, and many just won’t be able to get past that if you do not like his particular vocal style, but if you like what you hear then the other 17 songs on the album will also be an absolute joy for you to listen to. This song and its parent album are a wonderful example of the heights that bands from these genre’s can reach should they so wish. Where they go from here is unclear, but if they strip back their sound in the future, they at least have made a forward thinking, experimental album that many others would not have been brave enough to try.

DO NOT INSULT THE MUSIC BY LISTENING THROUGH LAPTOP SPEAKERS! I simply cannot stress this enough. There is no possible way you can judge this song (or music in general for that matter) through such an outlet. For the layers and intricate detail that the band have employed it is only fair that it is listened to in the way it should through a decent sound system or top end headphones. When I listened to this song on the laptop it sounds empty and hollow, do yourself a favour and plug in a decent sound system and listen as loud as you can!!

Albums To Embrace….Witness – Under A Sun (2001)

Formed in the salubrious surroundings of Wigan in the late 90s, Witness channelled the spirit of bands that they admired from across the Atlantic over the course of two albums before disappearing off the face of the musical landscape in 2004.

A great shame as both their debut ‘Before The Calm’ and its subsequent follow up ‘Under A Sun’ were brilliant records. The former received widespread acclaim upon its release and garnered extra attention due to the band being good friends with The Verve’s Nick McCabe. For all the acclaim and admiration from the UK ’s indie rock press, it was their follow up in 2001 that the band really found their true voice and delivered an album in thrall to the likes of R.E.M and widescreen Americana . Lead singer Gerard Starkie’s voice successfully married both Michael Stipe’s earnestness and the emotional delivery of Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz. The bands authentic sound made for a wonderful aural experience but also became one of the noughties first great lost records.

What had first sparked my interest in the band was album opener ‘Here’s One For You’ which had featured during the end credits of American Pie 2. Its chiming opening guitar lines that gave way to an addictive vocal hook and harmony vocals, before driving, powerful drums introduced a slide guitar feast that coupled honky tonk swagger with an uplifting, anthemic chorus. The song is so deep rooted in American aesthetics it came as a massive surprise when purchasing the album that they were in fact a UK band from the North West .

While ‘Here’s One For You’ still remains probably the strongest song on the record, its not to say that you feel the rest of the album falls short either. Each song buries its way into your sub-conscious and with each listen become more and more of a delight. What I have always said about this album is that it was probably the biggest “Grower” in my record collection at the time. The album unfurled more and more layers of brilliance the more I listened to it. Not that the band made it difficult to like, nor did they throw the kitchen sink at the production making it hard to penetrate. What was apparent from the word go was the bands excellent song craft, and I found myself becoming more fascinated with the songs the more I listened to them and took me a number of months to truly value what a fabulous collection of songs these are.

‘You Are All My Invention’ catches you off guard after such a thrilling opening with its hushed guitars, intertwining with piano and gentle drums. Starkie showcases his Automatic For The People-era Stipe vocals, revealing a great range as the songs verse glides effortlessly before the bands more upbeat delivery of the chorus. Its simple Americana leanings help set the tone for the album, but with each song comes a distinctive hook that keeps the listeners interest throughout.

The albums wonderful title track and the sublime ‘Closing Up’ stay true to the bands love of great American songwriting that would appeal to fans of Wilco and The Gin Blossoms, along with the country-tinged ‘Till The Morning’ with its laid back harmonica and pedal steel guitar.

The band shows their pop sensibilities with the absolutely stunning ‘My Time Alone’. Three minutes of glorious, uplifting, power-pop with big production, and wall of noise guitars that soar skywards. Taking influence from the likes of Big Star and turning out a tune that the likes of power-pop maestro Brendan Benson would be proud of. It gives the album an injection of energy at the mid-album point where so many albums start to sag.

‘A Warning Sign’ contains stabbing acoustic lines and dark and moody keyboards that power along an offbeat tempo that are in stark contrast to ‘My Time Alone’ and its overwhelmingly joyous feel. The swing in mood and feel with each passing song continues with ‘Mines’ providing a short blast of pretty acoustic indie that builds to a great finale, while the more moody atmosphere surrounding ‘So Here Be Well Again’ has elements of folk-balladry that you can imagine being sung 100 years ago if stripped back from its epic, indie-rock arrangement.

The album now 10 years old has aged very well indeed. A huge amount of bands emerged around the time Witness chose to call it a day in 2004 who were not only championing this type of music, but made a stand for its more widespread acceptance that has continued to this day with the likes of The Avett Brothers, Band Of Horses and Delta Spirit all continuing what was so apparent on this album; great musicians, writing great music, played with heartfelt honesty and a passionate intensity. This album is worthy of discovery.