Ok, so former ‘Melody Maker’ features editor, ‘Uncut’ founder and and current ‘Guardian’ writer Paul Lester reckons Lapland’s eponymous debut is the best album of the year so far. I happen to respect Mr Lester as a writer and as a critic, having discovered countless bands reading MM in the late 80s and early 90s. So when it comes to ‘Lapland’, perhaps I just need to accept that with something as subjective as music, opinions are bound to differ. But no, I’m not having that. He’s wrong.
Lapland is Brooklyn-born Josh Mease. The moniker under which he operates evokes winter, festiveness, fey post-rock in the Sigur Ros mold, perhaps. It’s a calculated move. Certainly, tracks on ‘Lapland’ conform to this. But then, most of the album doesn’t, and frankly, it’s disappointing. Moreover, it’s dull.
|
It certainly isn’t that I can’t handle stylistic diversity, or that I don’t have an ear that appreciates subtlety and nuance. But detail doesn’t make for interesting compositions as of and in itself.
That isn’t to say ‘Lapland’ doesn’t have its moments: ‘Where Did It Go’ is dreamy, shoegazy and pleasant enough, and there are mellow indie-folk numbers like ‘Overboard’ which are equal measures of Neil Young and 60s pop. But, as a whole, ‘Lapland’ just doesn’t have enough about I to make it stand out.
Lapland Online
|
