Forgive me if this review gets a little out of hand, I’ll probably have a hard time not resorting to bombast and extremes when talking about the three near-perfect songs currently “spinning” on Lands & Peoples’ myspace page. I might use terms like “ubiquitously perfect” and I might tell you that, if this world is a just one, Lands & Peoples will get all the attention they so desperately deserve over the next year. It’s hard to be objective when I so badly want for these songs to be loved by everyone, when I feel so strongly that this band should no longer go on underrated and underappreciated– and I just found out about these guys yesterday.
Maybe you should listen to a song before I continue. How about “Awake” — let this tiny song be the seductress. “Isabella” will be the climax.
[MP3] Lands & Peoples – Awake
Lands & Peoples is primarily the work of Baltimore’s Caleb Moore, who clearly spends a lot of time listening to fellow Baltimoreans Beach House. “Awake” recalls the agonizing elegance of Victoria Legrand’s caressing croon, with Moore’s reverb-drenched vocals bending and swaying over the cloudy beat of a fuzzy drum machine. The song reaches its apex with Moore shouting “But I feel awake!” — the track soars with oohs and aahs, synth patches and sleigh bells. And then it’s all over. It’s like when you realized Santa isn’t real: you felt saddened, betrayed even, but you’ll never forget those years of believing in the fantastical. Unless you become a hedge fund manager.
[MP3] Lands & Peoples – Isabella
“Isabella” slows it down a few notches but it’s no less captivating. A snail-paced guitar lulls through a soft melody, as Moore waxes existential about deceitful trees and our fragile perceptions of reality. In a matching fragility, Moore’s bandmate Amanda Willis supports his pleas with delicate harmonies that seem light as air. The song ends with a beautiful piece of poetry that would make William Blake blush: “My how the land slides; and if it gripped our feet, all our tender weakened dismay; oh the chords grind, on your side and in your dreams.” And so ends one of the most tender, beautiful songs I’ve heard in some time.
Was it as good for you as it was for me?
April 2, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Those two tracks are tasty – thanks for the intro. I like Awake a little more, actually, becomes it comes to a quicker peak, and I guess I’ve got some ADD going on.
April 2, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Yup. It was definitely as good for me as it was for you.
Thank you.
E