An Atmospheric and Enthralling Affair
While John-Mark Lapham of The Earlies was making a name for himself in the British music scene, his hometown friend Micah P.Hinson was breaking his was out of a turbulant lifestyle of addiction and trouble with the law through the medium of songwriting. Here the two young men's styles merge into a pensive and creative set of songs that make you take a step back from everyday life.
We start with 'Lila Blue', an 8 minute wonder beginning with airy synth samples before transient vocals arrive with such a trippy quality that you begin to wonder if you're imagining their presence because of the regular, hypnotic rhythm of the rest of the number. A twinkling section 6 minutes in recalls late summer nights in its balmy banjos and aching calls before you catch glimpses of a sweet and simple song. 'The Late Cord' maintains a confusing atmosphere that has the listener wrapped up in a searing musical fog while intense vocals with a ragged edge blare out over echoing chords. The final track on 'Side 1', 'Chains/Strings' naturally kicks off with a maze of overlapping string contributions, sounding rather like a school of sorrowful whales singing their hearts out; this may sound a little odd, but it's tinged with an intense beauty that's truly touching.
Starting side two on a less melancholy note, 'My Most Meaningful Relationships Are With Dead People' is a little simpler with sighing vocals and a regular progression of piano chords which spill out into a bubbling piano solo while the vocals muse constantly from somewhere heavenward. Final track 'Hung On The Cemetery Gates' is a sparse affair with a shimmering harmonica sound and surreal chants ringing out.
The Late Cord have a truly inspired sound which remains interesting and intriguing as the listener is inexplicably drawn into each and every track and remains either too bewildered or enthralled to leave. This mini album is a definite success and a full length album would surely be equally delightful.