You'd think that after spending the past couple of years cursing those elements of the media who've shoved sub-JEFF BUCKLEY pretenders like the revolting STARSAILOR down our gullets, the last thing your reviewer's liable to be dribbling uncontrollably about are a shogazey trio with, erm, soaraway vocals akin to THOM YORKE or CHRIS MARTIN.
Because, superficially at least, this is the kind of well-worn ground we're treading here. Thankfully, though - as should befit a band whose personnel hails from exotic locations such as Italy, Iceland and, erm, Weston Super-Mare - LORIEN represent one of those terrific, influence-transcending experiences which are sadly only too rare these days.
Make no mistake: LORIEN are already a class act and "Under The Waves" is a notable debut indeed. Let's establish one fact straight away, mind: LORIEN don't rock. The closest they get is the descending, chromatic riffing of the recent single "Ghostlost" or the accelerating choruses of "Milky Magic Tears". But, hell, TRAVIS don't rock either, and they shift units faster than a greyhound with mustard up its' tookers.
Instead, LORIEN excel in opening doors to a myriad of other sonic possibilities. It must be said singer Fabio's glistening voice does recall Thom Yorke and, stylistically, "Under The Waves" is not wholly dissimilar to RADIOHEAD when they're tackling the likes of "Fake Plastic Trees" or "Nice Dream." There again, your reviewer also catches glimpses of PLACEBO'S quieter moments (though without the tiresome sexual deviancy) and the occasional whisper of other fiercely independent musical travellers like THE BLUE NILE or TALK TALK.
When the dissection's over, though, LORIEN nakedly offer a surfeit of emotion all their own. They can pull off "anthemic" very successfully, as the singles "Ghostlost," "Shivering Sun" and (the should be 45) "Cherry Wood Eyes" emphatically prove and they're equally adept when introducing the inevitable strings to songs like "Planet New Earth": starting out nervous 'n' skittering and morphing butterfly-style into something very beautiful indeed.
|
LORIEN have a cache of aces in reserve, too. They can also claim slow, desolate numbers as their forte, as the likes of "Disappear" and -especially - "All Time" show. This latter comes across as a hybrid of early BOWIE and TALK TALK'S "April 5th" and requires your rapt attention. Your reviewer's personal favourite, though, is "Human Beings". Frail and almost unbearably tender, it's worth the price of admission alone.
"Under The Waves" does tail off a tad before it hits the tape. An alarming Prog-gy whiff emanates from "Octopus", with its' acoustic strums 'n' mellotron all a bit sub-"Led Zeppelin 3" for its' own good and the closing "Holy Lights" is too slight altogether. Besides, any band that name themselves after a mythical forest from Tolkein are…well, holding up a large crimson rag for this particular bull.
But such trifling irritants shouldn't be allowed to obscure the bigger picture, and when examined, it suggests that LORIEN will be producing further masterpieces in the near future. >From this debut's colours and textures, it's abundantly clear they possess an exquisitely discerning palette to choose from.
|
