Departure Lounge - Too Late To Die Young

  by Olga Sladeckova

published: 13 / 2 / 2002

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Review

Chris Anderson (electric guitar, keyboards, oboe, saxophone, stylophone, melodica, vocals), Lindsay Jamieson (drums, keyboards, percussion, harmonica, vocals) and Jake Kyle (double bass, bass guitar, trumpet acoustic guitar, vocals) all met while temporally working on a Tim Keegan and Homer Lounge song. The trio, who are all based in London, found making music with Tim (vocals, acoustic electric guitar, percussion, harmonica)so appealing that their temporary collaboration became long term as they decided to carry on together and to form a band. The four musicians decided to call themselves Departure Lounge, naming themselves in tribute to what they symbolically see their music as, a lounge from which to depart to relaxation. ‘Too Late To Die Young’ is their third album. The band, as well as also putting out two EPs, recently released a single ‘King Kong Frown', which also appears on the album. The album opens with a soft sound, which really makes you feel like you are “departing” for somewhere beyond reality. ‘Straight Line To The Kerb’, the first track, is a song of relief and hope, and is driven by the enthusiastic sound of guitars and drums. ‘Too Late To Die Young’, however, shows off other different shades of the band’s musical orientations as well. ‘King Kong Frown’ vigorously uses a wide range of instruments, while ‘I Love You’ in contrast has Tim’s voice floating peacefully against the backdrop of the music. The true jewel of the album though is ‘Tubular Belgians In My Goldfield’, an instrumental song. It starts occupying your mind gently with soft electronic sounds. The main stream of the music flows in gracefully and drifts through musical space discovering all kinds of instrumental combinations along the way. The song then almost unnoticeably shapes into the next track, ‘Be Good To Yourself’, which has Tim suddenly and passionately reinventing the sound of the album with his enigmatic voice. As the album heads towards its end, ‘Coke & Flakes' finds Tim in duet with another member of the band, swinging on the waves of guitar twangs and singing calmingly: “We’re on the ship that’s still sailing.” You really feel as if you are! When the Departure Lounge music “ship” reaches land and the last track quietly disappears, it leaves you somehow lighter, lighter of body and spirit and able to return to reality with more energy. Remember, however, there is always a way back to this relaxing state !

Track Listing:-

1 Straight Line to the Kerb
2 What You Have Is Good
3 King Kong Frown
4 I Love You
5 Alone Again And
6 Tubular Belgians in My Goldfield
7 Be Good to Yourself
8 Over the Side
9 Coke & Flakes
10 Silverline
11 Animals on My Mind (Intro)
12 Animals on My Mind