Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Album Review: Restorations - LP5000

Restorations
LP5000
***and 1/2 out of *****

The fourth full length from the Philly five piece Restorations, titled LP5000, is a strain of atmospheric emo rock with layers of guitars around direct lyrics from front man Jon Loudon.

The opening "St." is a gorgeous slow burn, conserving energy while creating a evocative musical scene. The follow up "Nonbeliever" is more inline with the bands bread and butter; direct lyrics, buzzing guitars which fill the complete sonic space, never letting the sound drop before a bass fill twists things up. The lines "Got a partner, for starters, and a kid on the way / Can't be doing all this dumb shit no more" shows exactly where this bands collective head is at.

"Remains" is bright with organ strains and swelling guitar work while the mellow and looped augmented "Melt" is more restrained with Loudon mentioning he reads a lot, which is pretty clear from his frank lyrics which are displayed in a writers fashion. It is also pretty clear he is fed up with the current political state as closer "Eye" (which begins drab before ending in cinematic fashion) connects with the line “Glance at your phone and you mumble, ‘I hope he dies’/Yeah, I hope he dies, too,’” a common thought when checking your news feed these days.

While the band works with the interlocking levels of guitar work, each track on the short LP5000 adds a unique element which keeps it from becoming routine. "The Red Door" is a shining example at the band clicking on all cylinders fiddles with tinkling sounds around a racing snare run before breaking into a climatic ringing chorus, displaying the traits that make Restorations an engaging band.

Like The National this is middle age rock, but with a shade more directness and slightly less artsy pretense, hence better. Never jubilant the band is mature and a touch dour/tired/weary at times because they just can't be doing all that dumb shit anymore.
___________________________________________
Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

No comments:

Post a Comment