Deep thoughts immersed in cosmic americana.
If ever your world feels overpowering then take a listen to this record and be reminded of just what tiny specks we as individuals really are. Convert gazing at the stars, big skies or distant horizons into sound and you begin to get a sense of what Lord Huron are about.“Cinematic” scarcely does justice to the expansive soundscapes they have developed since their debut ‘Lonesome Dreams’ back in 2012. This fifth album continues that blend of ethereal instrumentation and deep lyrics. Repeated listens only reveal more fascinating aspects of this immersive album.
Lord Huron is musician and visual artist Ben Schneider. Based in LA the name originates from Schneider’s days growing up in Michigan where he learned to play guitar on the shore of Lake Huron. Though he wrote and co-produced the album this is not a solo effort as guitarist Tom Renaud, percussionist Mark Barry and bassist Miguel Briseño, all friends from Schneider’s Michigan youth, testify.
Rather like diving into waters deeper than anticipated opener ‘Looking Back’ plunges into Schneider’s world. Retrospection has been a recurring theme of his lyrics, so it is an apt opener as he eerily ponders if it is possible to let go of the past. No matter how hard you might try it is always there. “Spent my whole life looking back and looking up and wondering who I was” becomes, “I’ll spend my whole life wondering who I am”. The guitar lurches along to harp and cello in a loop that allows no escape.
‘Bag Of Bones’ properly hammers home that feeling of insignificance. Lest we get too caught up in our own world Schneider offers, “Nothing lasts and no one stays / It just spirals off into outer space”. The arrangements stretch into infinite distance.‘Nothing I Need’ is cosmic americana at its very best. A brisk beat introduces a gentle banjo for Schneider’s gentle Byrds-esqe vocals to burst into a joyful crescendo of sound complete with electric guitars, reverb and harmonies. He ponders whether in this short life we can ever know what we really want or should we bother seeking anything at all? Fair point.
Actress Kristen Stewart adds more than a touch of drama to ‘Who Laughs Last’, her spoken lines full of urgency to match the edgy indie instrumentation of this road trip into a hellscape both physically and mentally. The relentless pace bring to mind The War On Drugs. ‘Fire Eternal’ with Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino veers towards a more pop sound, fitting for a song about being unable to break up.
‘Digging Up The Past’ requires little explanation but the way Schneider infuses his simple but deeply moving yearning with his perfectly complementary sound is striking. ‘Life Is Strange’ is a fitting way to close the album, whether looking back or forward, “we all turn into dust” but he does retain a grain of hope against an orchestral exit.
If not quite a concept album ‘The Cosmic Selector’ Vol 1′ is totally absorbing. Let’s hope there is a Vol 2.
