Lean Year - Lean Year

  by Keith How

published: 17 / 1 / 2018

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Lean Year are Emile Rex and Rick Alverson who hail from Virginia. Rex is a film maker and musician while Alverson’s previous band was the excellent but under rated Spokane. This debut release highlights the qualities found in the duo’s previous lives as film makers. 'Lean Year' goes nowhere slowly. A quiet almost nervous energy inhabits the beautiful cinematic soundscape that they have given birth to. This is an album completely out of step with current thinking. No huge studio sound of radio friendly production, no bright indie guitars and catchy lyrics, it is almost as though these song have slipped through the ether and arrived in our presence from some other ghostly world. The whole concept breathes a quiet intensity that is both hypnotic and alluring .Guitars hang in the air like an early morning mist and even when Emile Rex sings “Fuck off the old world” she seems to be in a place of fragility not anger. So. the listener is invited to immerse themselves in this intimate and intriguing world where nothing is rushed and the almost dreamlike qualities reflect a cinematic eye as the gentle and crystalline atmospheres envelope you. 'Lean Year' is beautifully constructed. 'Earner',for instance, finds an unexpected oboe introduced adding another dimension counterpointing Rex’s haunting voice. it is lovely stuff. 'Holy Mountain' has a folky feel while 'Waterloo Suns' has a sinister vibe with the vocals hanging in the air like mist, a warped saxophone bringing a surprising intervention into the mix. The album leaves you with a stunning instrumental work 'Nines'. The perfect end to this graceful and effective record.

Track Listing:-

1 Come and See
2 Her Body in the Sky
3 Earner
4 Holy Mountain
5 Watch Me
6 Sonja Henie
7 Waterloo Suns
8 The Louder Voice
9 Figs
10 Nines

Band Links:-

https://en-gb.facebook.com/leanyearmusic/
https://twitter.com/leanyearmusic

Label Links:-

http://westernvinyl.com/
https://instagram.com/westernvinyl/
https://twitter.com/westernvinyl
https://www.youtube.com/user/westernvinyl
https://www.facebook.com/westernvinyl

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