Lowbelly
"The Letter L" CD
Fort
Hazel
Genres: "cartoon jazz", instrumental rock,
pop
Fort Hazel
1400 Hill Road
Boise ID 83702
July 26 - Aug 1 2004 |
Ah, Lowbelly. It just so happened that I cracked out
their last release just days before I set out to review this
one. Coincidence? Perhaps, but it says tons about the
band's songwriting. Though their work is entirely instrumental,
principal songwriter Tristan Andreas manages to keep things
interesting by way of his marvelous atmospheres and catchy, whimsical
melodies. Like previous Lowbelly recordings, The Letter L
features an extensive instrument list, with many contributing
musicians adding to the fun. An accordion, a clarinet, a kalimba,
and even a "circuit-bent electronic toy" can be heard in
this dense, layered, though never stuffy collection of tunes.
The songs themselves range from jazzy ("So Little Current,"
"One Eye Patch") to slow and pensive ("DeLuxe,"
"Not Driven") to pure boppy ("Camping with
Kermit"). As a result, The Letter L is a mixed bag,
but one that is full of many goodies. Blast this sucker loud
through your abode - it will make everything you see, think or do seem
ten
times more fun.
87%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 14 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |