‘Winter’ is the fourth in a series of seasonally titled/themed E.P.s by LARKIN POE. The band comprises sisters, Rebecca Lovell (mandolin, acc. guitar, piano, vocals), Megan Lovell (dobro, lapsteel, vocals), along with Daniel Kimbro (Bass, banjo, vocals), Mike Seal (electric guitar, piano) and Chad Melton (drums, percussion). They were formed in January 2010, and all songs on this E.P. fall into the bluegrass/American folk genre. There are seven tracks on it, representing quite decent value for money.
Starting with ‘Desert Dream’, the listener is immediately drawn into a world of clever lyrics and excellent harmonies. What I liked immediately about this track was the lyrical imagery: -
“I struggle daily to survive; the wind eats hearts like mine alive.” With this you can really imagine the predicament of the character in the song. Luckily for them, it’s just a dream.
‘Taller Far Than a Tall Man’ is slightly slower and more atmospheric with a throbbing melodic chorus. Unlike the opener, the imagery in this song is more in tune with the title of the E.P: “The night was cloaked in snow, and the streams were frozen glass/ But as the seasons changed below, I swore I felt us start to fly.”
‘Cure For The Common Cold’ has some excellent guitar interplay and seems to be about someone freezing people out of their life following heartbreak. What I liked about this one was the clear, crisp vocals, and the fact that the guitar was so unashamedly upfront.
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‘Word From The Wise’ is an excellent track, the story-telling relating details of a love affair gone wrong, causing only pain and heartbreak, this done in a more traditional country style with some nice piano embroidery:- “I wait for letters that never come, and nights to rest easy/ I wait for a blessed time, when I can look in his eyes again.” With a start like that, you know it’ll all end in tears!
‘Free’, which follows, is another strong song featuring some good echo on drums and guitar and being a coming of age song, while‘Trance’ is an upbeat country love song that has its own charm:- “To the twinkle in your eyes, Or the wrinkles when you smile/ To your charming crooked teeth, Take me I can hardly breathe/ Oh embrace me in your trance.”
Finally, the E.P. closes with ‘This Girl’ an entreaty to someone not to mistreat their lover which works well. Overall, I thought that the quality of songwriting and musicianship was really high, and for a band that only formed a year ago, that is something special indeed.
Larkin Poe online
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