Lost In The Trees
All Alone In An Empty House


3.5
great

Review

by thebhoy USER (96 Reviews)
August 15th, 2010 | 45 replies


Release Date: 2010 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Orchestral folk-pop that takes the orchestral part seriously.

Right from the swelling strings of six-minute opener “Empty House”, it’s clear that Lost in the Trees don’t take their “orchestral folk” label lightly. Unlike countless other indie bands whose orchestration are often no more than harmonized arrangements of violins, horns, etcetera; Lost in the Trees actually, y’know, orchestrate. They compose their arrangements to have more than just a singular melody transposed across different instruments. More than anything this is what keeps the Chapel Hill band’s sophomore release All Alone In An Empty House an interesting album. In more mundane hands, the Stravinskii like “Movement I” would have stopped after the first memorable melody, but cellist Drew Anagnost and violinist Jenavieve Varga’s lovely interplay bring the piece to a whole other level. In these moments, like the arresting gothic chorus of “Walk Around the Lake” or the damn catchy “Movement II”, Lost in the Trees look ready to become the new darlings of the indie-scene. They aren’t quite there yet, however.

When things get stripped down, the band tend to lose that which make them so great otherwise. Ari Picker’s vocals are swell and all, and his sense of melody is certainly strong, but songs like “Love” and “Wooden Walls” tend to float over the listener, the former not helped by its borderline inane lyrics (the refrain of “I never heard someone say that love wasn’t enough” being the worst culprit). Yet overall the record is a precious one; at times too precious indeed, but a precious one none the less. If both “Movement” pieces, or even the “Ave Maria” aping instrumental “A Room Where Your Paintings Hang” are any indication, Lost in the Trees have a fantastic record in them somewhere. Perhaps it resides on the bombastic side of proceedings, where a little more extroversion is necessary. Either way, All Alone in An Empty House should be enjoyed for what it is, not what it could have been.



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user ratings (48)
3.7
great

Comments:Add a Comment 
thebhoy
August 16th 2010


4460 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Nice sound off

thebhoy
August 16th 2010


4460 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Also, I cannot stress how awesome Movement II is.

klap
Emeritus
August 16th 2010


12410 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

stop making me get new shit keelan

thebhoy
August 16th 2010


4460 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Klappy you would like this... also, Ra Ra Riot have a new record?

klap
Emeritus
August 16th 2010


12410 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

that's exactly the response i had when i found out, and i am quite enjoying it. blog on it tomorrow



ill get this....bastard

EVedder27
August 16th 2010


6088 Comments


Have this downloaded but haven't heard it yet

bungy
August 16th 2010


9009 Comments


I would be a sucker for this

Skimaskcheck
August 16th 2010


2364 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Summary alone makes me very interested indeeeed





+ hey what do you know, really excellent review to go with it

Enotron
August 16th 2010


7695 Comments


i requested this to be featured : )

but seriously this looks nice in contrast to all the ehhh new releases of august

thebhoy
August 16th 2010


4460 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

cheers

alachlahol
August 16th 2010


7593 Comments


nice review. orchestral folk-pop sounds horribly twee

Bitchfork
August 16th 2010


7581 Comments


but thats why it is soooo good. its like a 4.5

TheSpirit
Emeritus
August 16th 2010


30304 Comments


this is rly good

klap
Emeritus
August 16th 2010


12410 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

this came out in 2008?

Bitchfork
August 16th 2010


7581 Comments


omg we agree brandon this is like the first time since forever do you like von

Bitchfork
August 16th 2010


7581 Comments


"this came out in 2008?"
"Release Date: 08/10/2010"

EVedder27
August 16th 2010


6088 Comments


this came out in 2008?

My comp says that so I'm confused

klap
Emeritus
August 16th 2010


12410 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

it's a re-release

TheSpirit
Emeritus
August 16th 2010


30304 Comments


Von is okay

EVedder27
August 16th 2010


6088 Comments


it did come out in 2008:

http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0nftxzwsldte



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