Description:
‘Static Patterns and Souvenirs’ is the second album of remarkably orchestrated songwriting by the Nottingham, England quartet LORNA. The album blends classical orchestration with Americana instrumentation to anchor stunning pop melodies that evoke the works of MOJAVE 3, LAMBCHOP, CAMERA OBSCURA, and ANGELO BADALAMENTI. LORNA uses Scottish pop, post-rock, Americana, and dream pop as signposts, but invigorates each of these genres by injecting a complex, yet seamless array of instrumentation – both organic (pedal steel, classical guitar, vibraphone, viola, cello, banjo, flute, French horn, flugelhorn, harmonica, mandola)
‘Static Patterns and Souvenirs’ is the second album of remarkably orchestrated songwriting by the Nottingham, England quartet LORNA. The album blends classical orchestration with Americana instrumentation to anchor stunning pop melodies that evoke the works of MOJAVE 3, LAMBCHOP, CAMERA OBSCURA, and ANGELO BADALAMENTI. LORNA uses Scottish pop, post-rock, Americana, and dream pop as signposts, but invigorates each of these genres by injecting a complex, yet seamless array of instrumentation – both organic (pedal steel, classical guitar, vibraphone, viola, cello, banjo, flute, French horn, flugelhorn, harmonica, mandola) and experimental (theremin, found noises, electronics). This orchestration serves as an innovative anchor to the compelling melodies sung, often in tandum, by Mark Rolfe, Sharon Cohen, and James Allen. The album is inaugurated with “Understanding Heavy Metal Parts I and II.” Part I is a beautifully mild-mannered pop song in the vein of MAZZY STAR, with flourishes of banjo, harmonica, and trumpet. The song eventually segues into Part II – a two-minute instrumental coda with an electronic-fused rhythmic underbelly punctuated by vibraphone and trumpet melodies. LORNA accelerates the pace with “The Last Mosquito Fight of Summer” – propelled by briskly syncopated brushed snare strokes and Allen’s “Pictures of You”-esque bass line. The song contains a rousing instrumental chorus, highlighted by a MORRICONE-tinged theremin melody, and closes with fading trails of electronics, radio noise, and a melancholic assembly of violas. “Remarkable Things” is inspired by the John McGregor novel about a day in the life of small British town with children left to their own devices and imaginations. Rolfe and Cohen sing over a naked bed of classic country instrumentation – banjo, acoustic guitars, and pedal steel. On “He Dreams of Spaceships” LORNA sings about the sad, forgotten story of Laika the Soviet space dog against a deceivingly warm backdrop of Scottish pop suggesting CAMERA OBSCURA or Sarah Martin of BELLE AND SEBASTIAN. The measured post-rock composition “Illuminations” closes the album, building from its bare opening verses with passages of flute, trumpet, banjo, and experimental noises, only to conclude with pulsating electronics, a TWIN PEAKS “Red Room” muted trumpet, and ringing vibraphone melodies.
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Manufacturer: Words On Music
Release date: 26 April 2005
EAN: 0656605909127 UPC: 656605909127
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