Delicate Art

Lonesome Leash

Cruisin' Records, 2018

http://www.lonesomeleash.com

REVIEW BY: Tom Haugen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/02/2019

Lonesome Leash is Walt Clements, a Los Angeles resident who has spent plenty of time playing with bands like Weyes Blood, Hurray For The Riff Raff, and Dark Dark Dark. A multi-instrumentalist with a penchant for unorthodox sounds (though he's often backed other artists with his trumpet and accordion skills), he gets to flesh out his own songs on this curious third studio album. my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

“Permanence” starts the listen with blurry, hazy prog rock sounds that move in mysterious ways with plenty of electronic sounds, and “Driving” follows a similar path and features the always stunning Mirah. The indie rock Goddess helps out on vocals on this cautious, accordion-fueled, and intimate stunner. “Ghosts In The Garden” then takes on a darker quality, somewhat resembling post-punk, with soaring vocals from Clements and a memorable chorus to boot.

Deeper tracks like “Delicate Art” take help from Nona Marie Invie of Dark Dark Dark on vocals and Mary Lattimore on harp for a certainly delicate lullaby-esque tune with quaint keys and a dreamy atmosphere. Meanwhile,“California” recruits a hypnotic, droning cinematic quality where horns come in against a hypnotic backdrop. “Gallery Floor,” one of the best of the bunch here, carries a conversational tone with keys and a light setting, where a heavenly chorus makes it completely irresistible.

While there's a quality present here that brings to mind Nick Drake, ultimately Lonesome Leash is carving out a very unique path. Although dark, it's also danceable at times. With the bulk of the instrumentation being synth, drum machine, and accordions, Walt Clements and company are taking electronic pop ideas in an entirely different direction with their lights versus dark dynamics and sparse versus lush sounds that are both mesmerizing and comforting.

Listeners who require immediate gratification need not apply here, but if you like to really let an album settle in for your return, please do proceed.

Rating: B+

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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