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(Public domain) |
After riding a wave of hype since its 2006 debut EP, Land of Talk has finally released its first full-length album, Some Are Lakes. Led by the confident vocals and melodic guitar work of Liz Powell, the Montreal-based band shows how beauty can be wraught from the aggressive distortion of indie rock.
The obvious comparison points are the bands Metric and Stars—all three bands are Canadian, have female lead singers, and share members with the indie supergroup Broken Social Scene. However, where Metric indulges new wave influences and Stars go for over the top orchestration, Land of Talk keep things focused on gritty, guitar-based music that bridges indie rock and post-punk, perhaps closest to the sound of the late, great Seattle band Pretty Girls Make Graves (who will always hold a place in my heart thanks to the enormous crush I had on their singer in 8th grade).
Though the band is technically a trio, make no mistake about it—this is Liz Powell's show. The fact that the other two positions in the group have changed hands in the past year reinforces this. Her singing is the center of every track, and rightly so. Powell has no problem switching from a heartbreaking tremble (“Some Are Lakes”) to a punk-rock yelp (“Give Me Back My Heart Attack”) from one track to the next. Powell's ability to sound simultaneously comforting and badass is one of the band's strongest assets, and it's refreshing to hear a female indie vocalist sing without trying to be all cute and precious.
Drums on Some Are Lakes are adeptly handled by Andrew Barr of The Slip, who wisely discards the jazzy, jammy drumming of his full-time band in favor of a more restrained, streamlined rock style. It's less impressive from a technical standpoint, but his rhythms are nonetheless full of energy, and great fun to dance to.
It must also be noted that the producer of the album is none other than Justin Vernon, a.k.a. Bon Iver. Though Some Are Lakes is musically miles away from the acoustic folk he's known for, Vernon's production manages to produce a similar feel of intimate, haunting beauty for this album. His influence is most obvious on the album's two least rocking tracks--”It's Okay,” a slowly-building crooner centered around a ghostly organ, and “Troubled,” a dusty folk song sung partially in French that was recorded in the same Wisconsin cabin that Vernon recorded Bon Iver's album For Emma, Forever Ago in.
Land of Talk sounds surprisingly wise and self-assured for a band only on its first album. If there's any subtlety to be uncovered in rock music, this band's found it.
Some Are Lakes is out now on Saddle Creek Records.
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