Lord Huron
Strange Trails


3.5
great

Review

by argonaut USER (18 Reviews)
June 15th, 2015 | 25 replies


Release Date: 2015 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Lord Huron 2.0: Very close to Lord Huron 1.0, but is that such a bad thing?

Ben Schneider’s musical vehicle Lord Huron achieved a moderate amount of acclaim for their first full-length album, Lonesome Dreams, which positioned the act as a potential rising star in the musical world. This strong debut mixed folk with orchestral elements, sometimes resulting in sound approaching chamber pop. Lonesome Dreams established Lord Huron as an authentic group still reasonably accessible to listeners of mainstream radio artists, somewhere between The Tallest Man On Earth and Mumford & Sons. Strange Trails sees the band back in action, and the results show that Lord Huron remains a potent force with the folkier recesses of the indie music scene. A general lack of progression, though, is a potential flaw of the release.

Strange Trails’ beginning seems to suggest greater diversity than the folk-meets-chamber pop sound which dominated the band’s first release. The opener, “Love Like Ghosts” is harmony-heavy folk reminiscent of Fleet Foxes in the best way possible, while the following song “Until The Night Turns” is an upbeat country-rock tune. While neither of these tracks stretch the boundaries of Lord Huron’s sound too far, these two songs are clearly distinct from each other. In contrast, most of the remainder of Strange Trails would be quite at home on Lonesome Dreams, even if the new album is marginally folkier in direction. The results are much too “samey” for their own good. This weakness is compounded by the fact that 14-song Strange Trails approaches a full-hour, certainly an excessive length for this type of music.

This should not be taken as a brutally-harsh critique of the album, however. While flaws are undoubtedly present, Strange Trails is, all in all, a fundamentally-sound release, at least on par with its great predecessor. “La Belle Fleur Sauvage”, with its impeccably bucolic atmosphere, is a gorgeous song which is clearly among the band’s best work, while “Meet Me In The Woods” also stands out due to its immense catchiness. Beyond these highlights, even the less memorable tracks are perfectly pleasant listens. While still maintaining some pop influences, Lord Huron manages to recall a classic folk sound here, with certain moments bringing legendary artists such as Gordon Lightfoot to mind.

While in terms of actual sound, Strange Trails is (perhaps unfortunately) very close to that of Lonesome Dreams, it does manage to produce a distinctive mood. While a leading preoccupation of Lord Huron’s first album was the idea of “the journey” and of seemingly-endless travel, this theme is mostly absent in Strange Trails. Instead, the “in the forest” feeling implied by the album cover is very much in keeping with the music. Ranging in tone from rustic celebration to melancholy solitude, Strange Trails’s predominant themes can be a little claustrophobic at times, but are also deeply personal. This is epitomized in “Frozen Pines”, when Schneider’s plaintive statement “I don’t wanna be the only one livin’ when all my friends are gone” can hit the listener in the heart, particularly when combined with the evocative verses and musical accompaniment.

Ultimately, Strange Trails is an album that, while somewhat derivative, will likely be very enjoyable to fans of artists such as Fleet Foxes and Ben Howard. While mastermind Ben Schneider introduces minimal changes to the band’s sound, the overall lack of significant evolution might be disappointing to some. However, such questions will only become serious if the band’s next release continues to explore within the same limited sonic boundaries, and for now, one can and should simply enjoy the consistently enjoyable creations of Lord Huron.



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user ratings (103)
3.7
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
JWT155
June 15th 2015


14976 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Great album, excellent review. Album takes very few risks but the latter few songs are fantastic.

argonaut
June 15th 2015


818 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Thanks. And agreed, this album simply does well what the band is comfortable with.

JWT155
June 15th 2015


14976 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Completely agree, and I'm fine with that. Their music on cruise control is still very enjoyable, just could use that extra edge in the future. Frozen Pines is great and Fool For Love is a great summer song.

argonaut
June 15th 2015


818 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Yeah, Frozen Pines is one of my favorites as well. La Belle Fleur Sauvage is probably my top song on here though.

JWT155
June 16th 2015


14976 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Guess no one else has interest in this record. Shame.

LotusFlower
June 16th 2015


12000 Comments


I havent fully spun this record, but the songs I did spin weren't all too interesting. Good review though.

JWT155
June 16th 2015


14976 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

They're a band stuck in their niche, they do it well but they have the potential to mature it to something truly special.

RadicalEd
June 16th 2015


9546 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Good review, I agree with it 100%, they were more interesting the first time around, but this is still enjoyable.

klap
Emeritus
June 16th 2015


12410 Comments

Album Rating: 3.8

amazing live show

RadicalEd
June 16th 2015


9546 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Would be so nice if they came out to germany some time.

argonaut
June 16th 2015


818 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Thanks for the kind words. I haven't seen them live either, definitely would be interested in seeing them if I had the chance.

JWT155
June 16th 2015


14976 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

I'm with klap, they put on a great live show, lot's of energy, pretty spot on.

argonaut
June 16th 2015


818 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Awesome to hear that.

JWT155
August 6th 2015


14976 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Shame this record isn't getting more attention, this is prob in my top 5 for the year so far.

argonaut
August 6th 2015


818 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Yeah, it's too bad. This album's definitely not that high in my ranking, but it's solid stuff.

JWT155
August 6th 2015


14976 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

It's really grown on me, I'd prob have this closer to a 3.8.

JWT155
September 16th 2015


14976 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Bump because this is one of the most under-appreciated albums of the year.

ABjordanMM
December 21st 2015


1756 Comments


"Love like ghosts" and "meet me in the woods" are clearly the same melody. I wonder if that was intentional?

edit: oh wow and even "the night we met"

Whispered4tw
February 2nd 2016


938 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I always tend to skip some tracks, but not really a country fan to begin with. Good follow-up to their debut, and especially a big fan of Meet Me In The Woods, Frozen Pines and Cursed.

Orb
April 6th 2018


9519 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

big vibes



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