Lord of the Trance
By Matt Jones
What if Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine, and Radical Face all got together and had a kid?
This isn’t a hypothetical question or anything. I think it actually happened. It’s called Lord Huron. It’s a beautiful baby band. Awww!
Send your congratulations and well wishes to Justin Vernon. He’s a quiet, introspective guy so he’ll appreciate it. Tell him how lovely his child is. Really, it’s a beautiful kid. He has his fathers’ guitar. And his fathers’ voice. And his fathers’ accoutrements (chimes et al.)
His lyrics and gorgeous indie-folk arrangements make for some intense imagery. He really is captivating. He sounds like exploring beautiful new worlds. In fact, “Ends of the Earth” sums this sentiment up pretty well. Gosh it’s pretty.
Oh, how could I forget about the harmonies? Goodness, those harmonies. Ghostly, wistful, captivating. Not bad for an infant.
The truth is, although Lord Huron may not have anything biologically in common with the aforementioned groups, it takes strong cues from each of them and cranks up the “atmosphere” knob to, like, 15. Few albums tug at the heart like Lonesome Dreams does: it makes you forget about reality and want to do new things in new places. Oh yeah, and it’s Lord Huron’s first LP ever. If you can’t get enough here, I strongly suggest 2010′s enchanting EP Mighty. Think of it as an underground mixtape for indie kids… or something.
Ethereal but melodic. Soothing but energizing. Entrancing. Liberating. Pretty music. Lonesome Dreams.
Matt’s picks:
(The album)
