Lansing-Dreiden are redefining the meaning of the word “band”. They’re not merely a group of players. Instead, according to their website they are “a company that sees no distinction between art and commerce – or anything else”. In plain English, that means that they are free to do music and whatever the hell else they want – including art videos and weird design thingys. They be future multi-media kings, but for now, music is their largest output and on the whole, it’s a valentine to the sweet exotic music that the hippies played with in the 1960s and the new wavers kicked around in the early 1980s.
Everything you need to know about this company/band is all rolled together in the album’s title track. With its airy vocals and tribal beat, the song mixes up a blend that’s slightly exotic, but not necessarily sensual. There’s a faraway feeling to the sound that makes you pine for your own personal island paradise. Then, the rock and roll kicks in and it’s time to order up one of those drinks with the umbrellas because things are getting kind of trippy.
Lansing-Dreiden continues to play with this theme for the rest of their album with slight variations here and there - some are successful and some are not. “A Line You Can Cross” is a dark moody sounding gem that could have pulsed out the doors of basement-bound clubs when Blondie ruled CBGBs. “One For All” is another track full of lilting vocals and strong atmosphere.
The album does loose some steam at the halfway point though. Songs like “Our Next Breath” and “Two Extremes” never seem to find their groove or even the slightest something that could make them special. Thankfully, this is a rarity on a surprisingly strong album from the newest mavericks (musical and otherwise) on the block. |