Friends Of Dean Martinez - Lost Horizon
by Jon Rogers
published: 23 / 1 / 2006

Label:
Glitterhouse Records
Format: CD
intro
Beautiful, haunting Americana on fifth album from Friends of Dean Martinez, unfortunately weakened by sounding exactly like the group's last record 'Under the Waves'
Film director David Lynch made his eerie, warped 'Lost Highway' in 1997 and now Friends of Dean Martinez have gone for a 'Lost Horizon' -but they haven't really been looking that far ahead. 'Lost Horizon' is a beautiful, captivating record but weakened if you've heard Friends of Dean Martinez's previous 'Under the Waves.' 'Lost Horizon' is basically the same record. It explores the same themes and uses the same palate to create its textures and colours. Once again Friends of Dean Martinez seem to be making the soundtrack to some road movie across the American desert. There's a haunting, spooky feel to tracks like 'Heart of Darkness' and 'Two Hundred Miles.' There's hints of Brian Eno's ambient doodlings, some alt.country care of Calexico and a lifetime spent on America's highways with the roof down. Friends of Dean Martinez manage to capture that feeling superbly. 'Lost Horizon' just treads water. Mix up the album with 'Under the Waves' and play them at random and no one could probably tell which songs went on which album. While 'Lost Horizon' is a great, expansive album, filled with some fine playing and subtle craftsmanship, those musical horizons need to be lifted up higher and the possible vistas ahead need to be seen before Friends of Dean Martinez can move ahead. As it is, they're currently stranded out in the desert at night in desperate need of a lift. But no one seems to be stopping.
Track Listing:-
1 Landfall2 Dawn
3 Heart Of Darkness
4 Somewhere Over Waves
5 All In The Golden Afternoon
6 Two Hundred Miles
7 Hidden Out Of Sight
8 Dusk
9 Departure
Label Links:-
http://label.glitterhouse.com/https://www.facebook.com/GlitterhouseRecords
https://twitter.com/glitterhouserec
https://www.youtube.com/user/GlitterhouseTV
reviews |
Under The Waves (2003) |
![]() |
"Moody, instrumental exotica" on fourth akbum from Tucson, Arizona's Friends of Dean Martinez, which proves to be "at once beguiling and disturbing" |
most viewed articles
current edition
Carl Ewens - David Bowie 1964 to 1982 On Track: Every Album, Every SongArmory Show - Interview with Richard Jobson
Colin Blunstone - Thalia Hall, Chicago, 16/7/2025
Bathers - Photoscapes 1
Visor Fest - Valencia, Spain, 26/9/2025...27/9/2025
John McKay - Interview
Editorial - July 2025
Robert Forster - Interview
Billie Eilish - O2 Arena, London, 10/7/2025
Sir Tim Rice - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Amy Macdonald - Is This What You've Been Waiting For?Sick Man of Europe - The Sick Man of Europe
Phew, Erika Kobayashi,, Dieter Moebius - Radium Girls
Alice Cooper - The Revenge of Alice Cooper
Davey Woodward - Mumbo in the Jumbo
Lucy Spraggan - Other Sides of the Moon
Blueboy - 2
Cynthia Erivo - I Forgive You
Lapsley - I'm a Hurricane, I'm a Woman In Love
Philip Jeays - Victoria
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart