A rich, thick slice of Nostalgia. Sungs from the Lost Highway. For the time when Roy Orbison, Dion, The Everly Brothers and Del Shannon were in their prime and vaguely overwrought but utterly sincere melodrama was the norm. Los Angeles Lord Huron came to my notice a couple of days ago even though they've been round the block a few times, latest album Long Lost is their fourth in all since their debut almost ten years back.
This is classically tasteful stuff, with its heart, soul and stetsons stuck in the mud of 1964. Though it's actually looking back from there to Hank, Marty Robbins, Roy Rogers and Shane. Perhaps best heard in short bursts just as Orbison and Shannon were singles artists essentially.
It's slightly difficult to maintain this level of cool intensity and not dabble in corn occasionally. In some ways a record that sounds like this has no earthly justification for existing in these cynical times. Lord Huron know just what they're doing mind and shift the angle and tempo of attack sufficiently to maintain the listener's interest for the most part.
Also they have a handful of absolute peaches on here. Most notably the title track, which is one of the best things I've heard this year, even though it doesn't really sound like it comes from this year and that's precisely what makes it work. Roy or Del would have killed to take a shot at this one and the drama and yearning are milked to perfection.
It's difficult to know exactly who the market for this record and band are. It's perhaps a bit too conservative by nature to really appeal to the cool set. I'd say though it's a much, much better record than many that are being highly vaunted right now, made by artists making a far greater effort to be seen in the right company and strike the right poses. Long Lost makes its case modestly but with state of the art precision, leaving a mellow and pleasurable afterglow.
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