Review Summary: The sophomore slump? Yes and no
Bendrix Littleton’s 2020 album
Deep Dark South might remain obscure, but it has acquired a loyal (if small) following on Sputnikmusic.com. Consisting of ten songs accumulating to under twenty-eight minutes in total, the album was slight, but packed a punch. Its lo-fi bedroom pop meets indie folk formula, married to country affectations which reminded of Honey Harper in aesthetics (if not sound), scratched a very particular itch, creating a near-unique vibe with its blend of charm and potent emotion.
As one of those who became enamored of Bendrix Littleton’s music via that little “album that could”, I wasn’t confident whether
Deep Dark South represented the birth of an unheralded great new artist, or if it was simply a one-off fluke which would never be matched in quality again. Both seemed like feasible scenarios, as while the first album had a great deal of appealing elements, it was also built on a foundation of little snippets of songs, often feeling amateurish (if appealingly so). Now, the simply-titled
LP2 has been released, so which theory is proved correct? Well, it’s fair to say that the jury’s still out, but at the very least, there’s still a lot to love about Bendrix Littleton’s music.
The musical style presented on
LP2 isn’t too far removed from that of
Deep Dark South, but there’s a general shift away from some of the more shimmery/twinkly aspects of the debut towards more straightforward folk/country stylings. Most of the songs remain brief lo-fi efforts, with this new record being made up of fourteen tracks with a runtime under thirty-seven minutes. Lyrically, the prevalent themes are familiar, with alcohol, childhood memories, and crippling depression occupying dominant positions, but the overriding vibe of the album differs from its predecessor. While
Deep Dark South was inescapably nocturnal, the sound of a moment late in the evening, after a few drinks, stuck somewhere between despondency and reflectiveness,
LP2 instead feels like wandering through the small town you grew up in on a blisteringly hot summer day, past the decrepit houses and overgrown baseball fields, disillusioned but nostalgic all at once.
In short, at least in most places, Bendrix Littleton still has the sense of atmosphere and feeling which made
Deep Dark South so good, he’s just harnessing it towards a bit of a different angle. Songs like the warm “Hideaway”, the quirky gem “Boones Farm Wine” (one of his best songs), and the downcast closer “Somewhere Far Away” are remarkably good, but even most of the tracks not mentioned in this review approach excellence, and manage to add to the prevailing mood of the record quite successfully.
However, I do have a few gripes. For one thing, the album’s first two tracks don’t provide a good initial impression: opener “Wanna Get Drunk” is quite decent, but feels like it could also be a Bendrix Littleton parody, if such a thing existed, and it’s followed up by the entirely forgettable “Dobro Interlude”. Things certainly pick up after that, beginning with the Alex G-esque “Dugout”, but this sequencing definitely marrs the release. In addition, there are a few tunes which approach filler status, notably the aforementioned “Dobro Interlude” and “Staring At A Screen”, later in the tracklist. These issues, while not particularly devastating, leave me regarding this effort as not quite on the level of
Deep Dark South.
Relevant critiques notwithstanding,
LP2 is a very strong effort. As an escapist mood piece, this album is hard to beat, pulling the listener into a melancholy but endlessly appealing summer haze. Bendrix Littleton now has two heartfelt and rewarding albums under his belt, and while this music may always be destined for a niche audience, here’s hoping that this release sees the little fan club grow, at least a bit.
