Lake Poets - Honest Hearts

by Adrian Huggins

published: 12 / 6 / 2014

Label: Generator
Format: CDS

Overwhelmingly moving debut EP from the Lake Poets, the project of Sunderland-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Martin Longstaff

Review

The Lake Poets is a damned liar – He is neither a body of water nor a collection of bards, but I will, however, let it slip on account of my absolute hatred of solo artists that don’t bother giving themselves an interesting name. Instead he is in fact Sunderland -based multi-instrumentalist Martin Longstaff, and Martin, or theLake Poets as he’s known to those who’ve met him more than twice, has completely flawed me. While he has been around my own North East music scene for many years, he has until now completely eluded me until now, much to my own detriment. Produced with the help of Mick Ross (of Frankie And The Heartstrings and the fantastic Soundtracks For a B-Movie) ‘Honest Hearts’ is as haunting, sparse, beautiful and emotive collection of songs that you are ever likely to hear, and if it doesn’t stop you dead in your tracks then you probably a completely useless human being who has no right to be listening to music. In essence the Lake Poets would likely be billed as "an acoustic singer-song writer", but, however, that would be like saying ‘Nelson Mandela was that chap who went to prison for a couple of years and then a few people noticed’. Every single word, note, sound, and instrument on this EP is there for a reason. There is so much space on ‘Honest Hearts’, particularly on the opening track ‘Window Sill’ and this contrast between the space and the sheer impact of every little detail that is there is what makes ‘Honest Hearts’ nothing short of perfection. ‘Dead Horses’ has a gentle Band Of Horses vibe about it on the surface, but it reaches its climactic end by creeping up on you. The final song ‘Husk’ seems to have captured that sound you don’t hear when a room full of people witness something so breathtakingly beautiful no amount of words could possibly due it justice. I feel pathetic even trying to use my own meagre and ham-fisted words to describe it. It is simply totally moving.