Lake Trout - 'Another One Lost' (Palm Pictures)
2/5
By: Kevin Molloy
It is of no relevance how gifted a band is individually, if the sum-total of their creations does not measure up to their talent. Whilst Lake Trout possess reams of skill and intuition, this album turns in a rather unsatisfying result.
Let's not hold back; the major problem is, that whilst they bear pretence towards innovation and creativity, all too often this ends in malfunction. 'Another One Lost' is an album incredibly diverse in sound for a single band to have created, but incredibly frustrating. If, instead of stretching themselves thin in this manner, they had concentrated on their songwriting, and in particular the lyrical content, you gather the thought that this whole thing would have been a much more enjoyable affair.
Lake Trout's preferred goal, it would seem, is the soundscapes that fans of Godspeed... would find all too familiar. Occasionally this strain of emotive sound does work, such as on the emotionally wracked 'Mine'. More often than not, however, it comes on like a play-by-numbers Mogwai, rehearsed by a high-school band trying in earnest to sound like they mean it, man, and failing (despite the competence).
Elsewhere, the tone is highly redolent of Radiohead ('Still'), or even Coldplay ('Holding'); Woody Ranere's vocals certainly hold something in common with Chris Martin's, and at his more honest moments, a little Jarvis Cocker. Whilst there is little wrong with these vocal talents as parallels, Ranere's lyrical capacity fails to measure up to either one of them; mantras of the meaningless are repeated throughout entire songs, and an easy rhyme is often preferred to any idea of sense. Tellingly, the next tour is instrumental.
The title-track, however, proves a highpoint of the work. Returning to principles of stark simplicity, with voice and acoustic guitar making up the majority of the song, Ranere's vocals are given a rare moment to shine. His lyrics, similarly, achieve a certain poignancy they lack otherwise - whilst the remainder of the record reverts to the prior methodology, save for 'I Was Wrong', with its U2-esque suspended guitar-chords echoing into the distance and an eventual, satisfying climax: an episode that slowly backs down to the discordant chaos whence it came.
Clearly, it's the straightforward tact within which the best of the 'Trout is found; their more 'ambitious' songs merely feel like a reworking of other, better bands' work, and, as such, become rather disjointed at that. A saving-grace? Namely, that a new element is revealed in each listen that acts to slightly redeem the album; sneaky beats nestle and hide behind awkwardly placed riffs throughout, and there are many showy bass-lines.
So, despite the trip-ups, this is a band with a lot of promise. But as for now, Ranere sings: 'don't let the last word I say to you be I'm sorry', and with a more concerted effort, the next release could well avoid that necessity.
Artists in this article: Lake Trout
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment