Look At That Old Grizzly Bear
Last Lungs
Label: Deep Elm
Released: July 30, 2010
Duration 10 tracks, 48:02
Among today’s indie instrumentalists, Last Lungs clearly stands front and center in providing an offering in Look At That Old Grizzly Bear with roots as deep as ‘70s progressive pych rock’s Jade Warrior and as impactful as Jeff Beck’s seminal works of Blow by Blow and Wired. Surprisingly, this is the debut album for the Preston, England based five piece band.
As a collective, this instrumental pop offering is excessively clean and airy with guitar interplay washing over percussion and bass. The album’s storyline paints an expansive musical adventure ranging from calming waters to storming seas. This is an awesome first effort giving their all - heart and soul.
The opener, “Oh, Good Morning”, is progressively emotional setting the mood for what is to come. “33” continues the hot pace with multi-layered guitars and a charge of musical energy while the title track “Look at that Old Grizzly Bear” builds, settles, and builds passion again. This could be a soundtrack for an epic medieval battle, immense in its message. “Inglend” (a trilogy) begins slowly and purposely with an echoing which haunts throughout, like beginning a journey down a quiet path to the unknown. Part two provides a steady reign of energy in its rhythm with a heavy bass line accompanied by light guitar and synth dancing in and out of the percussion. The occasional high strains of a lead guitar replace the rhythmic steadiness providing the songs momentum. Energy is sustained in the trilogy’s finale with a distorted guitar-leading climax giving way to heavy bass and percussion trailing to an end. The haunting electric guitar underlined by heavy bass and light rhythm guitar initiates, the pace quickens, and at nearly three minutes in the song explodes as the lead guitar paints a rainbow of sound giving way to quiet pastures of rhythm. Inglend is what this collection is all about, successfully painting an emotional picture of sound in one’s mind.
The album seems to have a second operatic act as “Wax & Wane” invites us to the remainder of the collective with a single guitar on reverb taking us on a slow, casual stroll through the woods. Have you ever lifted a kaleidoscope to an eye, slowing turning the outer tube to produce patterns, then slowing down to take in the parts of the pattern only to begin turning the tube faster to bring the pattern to life? This is “Kaleidoscope”, a song musically well painted. “Now Against the Staircase, Part 1 is a powerful musical image of leaving a calm lagoon while moving out to the ocean’s pounding waves. The song gives way to Part 2 which gently rolls along with the albums only vocals. The band’s rudimentary chorus layers its vocals adding a sense of helplessly hoping to the song’s story - ’ Here I step out of the sailing ride, and heel by heel take the hallway in my stride, and shed our clothes, a torn up paper lantern glows, and swing into the dark’. The vocals fade, followed by a gentle instrumental discourse again rising to a crescendo which plateaus to a low and peaceful place.
These songs are emotionally charged indie alt-rock, so well written and performed one can slip on the headphones, close his / her eyes and wonder off into adventure. Listening to Look At That Old Grizzly Bear brings me back to the days of listening closely, and I mean really listening closely without distraction. As in days of old with song lists of Pink Floyd on a good set of headphones, this music compels you to listen, to feel, to be a part of the music.
http://www.myspace.com/lastlungs
Last Lungs
Label: Deep Elm
Released: July 30, 2010
Duration 10 tracks, 48:02
Among today’s indie instrumentalists, Last Lungs clearly stands front and center in providing an offering in Look At That Old Grizzly Bear with roots as deep as ‘70s progressive pych rock’s Jade Warrior and as impactful as Jeff Beck’s seminal works of Blow by Blow and Wired. Surprisingly, this is the debut album for the Preston, England based five piece band.
As a collective, this instrumental pop offering is excessively clean and airy with guitar interplay washing over percussion and bass. The album’s storyline paints an expansive musical adventure ranging from calming waters to storming seas. This is an awesome first effort giving their all - heart and soul.
The opener, “Oh, Good Morning”, is progressively emotional setting the mood for what is to come. “33” continues the hot pace with multi-layered guitars and a charge of musical energy while the title track “Look at that Old Grizzly Bear” builds, settles, and builds passion again. This could be a soundtrack for an epic medieval battle, immense in its message. “Inglend” (a trilogy) begins slowly and purposely with an echoing which haunts throughout, like beginning a journey down a quiet path to the unknown. Part two provides a steady reign of energy in its rhythm with a heavy bass line accompanied by light guitar and synth dancing in and out of the percussion. The occasional high strains of a lead guitar replace the rhythmic steadiness providing the songs momentum. Energy is sustained in the trilogy’s finale with a distorted guitar-leading climax giving way to heavy bass and percussion trailing to an end. The haunting electric guitar underlined by heavy bass and light rhythm guitar initiates, the pace quickens, and at nearly three minutes in the song explodes as the lead guitar paints a rainbow of sound giving way to quiet pastures of rhythm. Inglend is what this collection is all about, successfully painting an emotional picture of sound in one’s mind.
The album seems to have a second operatic act as “Wax & Wane” invites us to the remainder of the collective with a single guitar on reverb taking us on a slow, casual stroll through the woods. Have you ever lifted a kaleidoscope to an eye, slowing turning the outer tube to produce patterns, then slowing down to take in the parts of the pattern only to begin turning the tube faster to bring the pattern to life? This is “Kaleidoscope”, a song musically well painted. “Now Against the Staircase, Part 1 is a powerful musical image of leaving a calm lagoon while moving out to the ocean’s pounding waves. The song gives way to Part 2 which gently rolls along with the albums only vocals. The band’s rudimentary chorus layers its vocals adding a sense of helplessly hoping to the song’s story - ’ Here I step out of the sailing ride, and heel by heel take the hallway in my stride, and shed our clothes, a torn up paper lantern glows, and swing into the dark’. The vocals fade, followed by a gentle instrumental discourse again rising to a crescendo which plateaus to a low and peaceful place.
These songs are emotionally charged indie alt-rock, so well written and performed one can slip on the headphones, close his / her eyes and wonder off into adventure. Listening to Look At That Old Grizzly Bear brings me back to the days of listening closely, and I mean really listening closely without distraction. As in days of old with song lists of Pink Floyd on a good set of headphones, this music compels you to listen, to feel, to be a part of the music.
http://www.myspace.com/lastlungs
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