Lord Huron
Lonesome Dreams
IAMSOUND [2012]
Jan Lindholm
The excessive flow of Folk-oriented pop, after the success of Fleet Foxes and the likes, have been overwhelming. Yet this trend seems to bring forth some talent that otherwise would have gone un-noticed. And I for one welcome these with open, embracing arms. Lord Huron might be one of the lucky ones.
The creation of Ben Schneider, Lonesome Dreams screams of old-fashioned romance, Americana, of old boarded windows, winds chiming their songs through rusted pipes, of a lone voice on the prairie proclaiming his love as desperate as the same desert needs its water. It is a story of hope and love.
The use of long, ambient elements in the tracks, the slow pace compared to the more upbeat rhythms, help build the whole imagery of the album. The hollow hooting and bells harmoniously play together as an almost oriental union builds a very eerie and spacious sound. The visual sense of Lonesome Dreams is powerful; it truly delivers on all fronts.
But sometimes the storytelling gets lost, the beginning of the whole album is close to magical, but the second half seems to dive into predictability when more depth is required. Much of it oozes of patterns that have been heard so many times before. We wanted braver paths, a more honest and creative approach. The album by no means lands flat, but the anticipation of “louder” builds and components that stay true to the theme of the album would have been nice.
Lord Huron’s debut is a strong composition with interesting discourse and imagination. It is a beautiful composition, although it occasionally falls victim to the melodic imitation of itself.
In Between Songs 