The Long Lost - The Long Lost (Ninja Tune)
3/5
By: Charlie Bradford
The Long Lost's self titled album is serene and ethereal, the kind of music you'd might expect to find in one of those bizarre shops that sell books all about yoga, relaxation and the art of good witchcraft. The type of place you walk into and are almost knocked out by the overpowering aroma of joss sticks. It would be filled with hippies and tourists looking for a rare glimpse into another world.
Amazingly given its often folksy tone, this album was made by the electronica experimentalist Alfred A. Darlington. Teaming up with his wife Laura, this album could not be more different from his other field of work. Despite being still quite experimental, it's experimenting in a very different way.
As the record commences, listeners are instantly taken off to a faraway place on a slow and meandering magic carpet. Yet somehow there are problems. Initially, the background scenery on this ride is very pleasing, but Laura's monotonous and ridiculously high pitched vocals can grate a little.
'Overmuch' displays a much darker side to the band, the subtle strings underplaying the soft caress of the guitar hauntingly, sending small shivers down your spine. Things on The Long Lost are better when they're more like this.
Slightly different is the opening of 'Ballroom Dance Club', in which it feels like you've been transported to a Disney film where it has just dawned on the beautiful heroine that she digs that Prince Charming dude. Suddenly the mood of the music has an adventurous undercurrent as said heroine must battle her way through all manner of perils to be reunited with her love. 'Cat Fancy' also sends me to the world of fairytale and magic, except this time we are being told a story of Thistle the cat, and the comforting Jackanory-style voice has a traditional feel. It a lovely tune and the addition of soft echoing meows add a simple and tender sweetness to the track.
The gentleness of the music is occasionally rocked by a strange and ill fitting overlay. The xylophone on 'Wobegone' is a perfect example of this. And once you're in to it, the mysterious and ethereal texture of Laura's falsetto gently sways between being truly annoying and eventually beautifully harmonious.
It depends what you want from your hippy shops, I guess - joss sticks, or voodoo dolls. For those searching for the former, this might be perfect. My thing's more the latter.
Artists in this article: The Long Lost
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