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LAKE - Let's Build a Roof
| Pitchfork |
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LAKE seem like a chipper lot, so I feel kinda bad calling out the title of their album as bullshit. The "let's" part I get-- the Olympia, Wash., group's second K Records LP is definitely a team effort, switching up between three complementary vocalists and they're on a label almost synonymous with community. But it's a major stretch to think about this remarkably sunny album soundtracking the construction of anything, let alone something intended to keep mother nature out. Opener "Breathing" is certainly one for the beach chairs, a lulling piece of Pac-NW by way of Glasgow tunesmithery, but don't lose sight of how carefully it's composed. There's plenty going on, but it never feels like these instruments are fighting for space-- tambourines shake in and out of the mix, along with piano tones, acoustic strums, and glittering electric leads. It's indicative of LAKE's ability to sound simultaneously airy and earthy. Eli Moore's sleepy vocals deliver a catchy but subtly complex song, while Karl Blau's production lends a natural but never Spartan tidiness. Similarly, "Loose Wind" is gorgeous, threatening to drift off into the ether before a surprisingly clangorous bridge leads into one of Roof's many sumptuous horn charts....full text |
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| Popmatters |
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There is darkness embedded in the impossibly long days of summer. The season incessantly reminds you of its fleetingness. On their latest album, Olympia, Washington’s Lake have created a backward-looking Autumn record, overflowing with the understated happiness of a relaxing summer Saturday, covered with the nondescript shadows of knowing that when the summer goes, it will be a long time until the sun’s warmth can be felt again. Even the title, Let’s Build a Roof implies, at once, freewheeling impulse and cold necessity. “Breathing”, which opens the album, sounds how late summer feels, with rainy day reverb shrouding the calming clarity of an August afternoon. Even without this studio chicanery, the song would be wholly ethereal with its sporadic bass, heartbeat drums, and ghostly harmonies. Like a summer day in Washington, when leisure is only ever ephemeral with the threat of rain, something almost subliminally sinister lurks beneath the music, stifling the stoner’s serenity for a more alcoholic anxiety....full text |
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| Treblezine |
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Boy/girl vocals, horns, piano, twinkling acoustic guitar and album artwork and titles that evoke an irrational level of enthusiasm—indeed, Olympia sextet LAKE appears to be one glockenspiel away from twee-pop critical mass. And yet, in spite of these elements, the music the band creates contains more depth and richness than most of today's Postcard Records devotees. On last year's Oh, The Places You'll Go, the group revealed a super fun indie pop sound that swirled just enough soul and funk into its giddy indie pop machine. Just a year later, LAKE appears to be expanding their sonic limits by incorporating more dense and textured arrangements along with superb songwriting on sophomore effort Let's Build A Roof. Given their K Records pedigree and penchant for rich and sumptuous '70s-style atmosphere, it should only make sense that Let's Build A Roof sounds like the meeting place between The Microphones and Fleetwood Mac. Thanks to plentiful reverb, and no doubt labelmate Karl Blau's production, vocalist Eli Moore's delivery frequently comes through as a dead ringer for Phil Elverum, if a bit warmer and less distant. But rather than drench their songs in fuzz, or as displayed recently, go black metal, LAKE opts for a brighter, kaleidoscopic array of organs, scratchy guitar chords, horns and gorgeous vocal harmonies. "Breathing" begins the record with a softly throbbing pulse, a rhythmic heartbeat that provides a solid bed for an oncoming precipitation of ringing pianos and softly sung vocals. The stunning "Gravel" follows, building up from subtle African rhythms as Lindsay Schief's sweet vocals become encircled by vibrant horns and clacking percussion. "Madagascar" is a laid back, almost reggae-influenced tune that finds the band taking on a lovely and breezy sound, while "Sing 99 & 90" takes a public domain folk tune and turns it into an exhilarating '70s rock jam. "Loose Wind" displays the strongest Fleetwood Mac influence, and as such is a wonderful mixture of melancholy melodies and entrancing grooves. And "Don't Give Up" is the album's most giddy surprise, an upbeat and danceable standout with some motivational lyrics and good-time saxophone....full text |
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