LAND OF TALK - Some Are Lakes

Spurred on by the warm reception from audiences and critics alike that greeted their expanded EP “Applause, Cheer, Boo, Hiss”, Canada's Land Of Talk return a year later.

As on the previous record, it's still charismatic vocalist Elizabeth Powell who serves as the hub around which the whole band's project revolves. But while in the rawness of those ten tracks the leader's moods gave room to a wide, fervent and passionate range of emotions, on this album a polished production flattens everything out into a less incisive indie soft-rock.

Handling production, as mentioned, is Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver, and anyone familiar with that little gem of folk songwriting that is “For Emma, Forever Ago” won't find it hard to see how it shaped the sound of Land Of Talk; take for example “Troubled”, an intimate folk ballad built almost entirely around guitar and voice, or the reined-in gallop of “The Man Who Breaks Things”, which could fairly be called almost folk-rock.

Even without the folk contaminations, though, “Some Are Lakes” still shows the effects of this overall softening, both in terms of variety and, above all, in the way it almost completely erases the fiercely rock-driven side that seemed to lurk within the potential of Powell and her band.

All the tracks, with the possible exception of the guitar-driven, whirlwind rock of “Corner Phone”, are built as indie pop-rock ballads in which the grit is systematically held back, reined in and/or merely hinted at.

While trying to take a step forward in defining a sound that's personal and original, Land Of Talk have taken half a step back in terms of genuineness and variety, once again postponing proof of their actual potential and worth.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

22/12/2008