"The Long Lost Album"
(Ninja Tune)
seven / ten
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THE LONG LOST "The Long Lost Album" (Ninja Tune)
seven / ten |
I bet Alfred and Laura Darling have really boring sex. No biting or scraping, just all hugs and cuddles. The Long Lost is a "couple" project, with the electronic maestro Daedelus and his missus chasing the folktronica/electroacoustic train that just pulled out of Snoozeville station. Ah no, that's not nice and this isn't a boring album by any means. It's just that everytime I listen to it, this massive internal red light starts flashing the word "twee" in my easily-irritated brain.
I've been a Daedelus fan for yonks, and although this album is closer to his earlier work in terms of its character and sensibility, it lacks the same gusto and impact. Anyone who buys their albums according to what Pitchfork says is sooo cool will probably already be familiar with Laura Darling, after she lent her vocal talents to Flying Lotus on his Los Angeles album. Apparently, this album has been coming for quite some time, and it's interesting to see how the chemistry between the two is explored throughout.
The instrumentation here is sparse, and although the acoustic guitar rules the roost, there's still plenty of clarinets, harmonicas, toy pianos and child-like samples in stock to retain the trademark wonderland innocence. The thumb piano and snare drum on 'Finders Keepers' make for strange bedfellows, but it's got a certain shine to it alright.
Simple as the music is, there's still some swanky time changes and the clever whimsical lyrics are delightfully full of such things as love and nature and beauty and stuff; if you're into that kind of thing. But if this album was a food, it'd be humus. God, I sound very harsh, but it's still quite good.
John Lillis
www.myspace.com/thelonglost
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