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Sharks & Flames is, sadly, Lenola's swan song. :( But, I guess, at least it's a two-CD set. I'm so bummed out that they broke up before I had the chance to see them perform live. And now they''ll never get a chance to work with Dave Friddman. Cruel, cruel world.
Admittedly, this CD doesn't quite grab me and spin me across the room like Treat Me To Some Life did, but it's just as consistently good as anything these boys have ever done and really highlights their extraordinary songwriting talents.
Their songs are so sweet: some amble along in a folky pastoral way, some have a speedier pop feel, but all of them feature the unique, distinctive Lenola-harmonies, that I am going to miss so, so much now that their gone. Seriously, the way their voices blend together is definitely one of the things that made this band stand out for me. The Crosby, Stills & Nash comparision still stands.
"All You Hide" is a beautiful, 60's-organ-drone song that ends the second cd so sadly, with its repeated refrain of "Say Goodbye...". Oh, sniff! :( Goodbye, Lenola. :( (janice.09.03)
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treat me to some life • file 13 records • 2001
I cannot get enough of this CD!!! Mike and I found it laying used at a local thrift store, actually, and Mike, being a huge Lenola fan, eagerly snatched it up. I'd never heard their music before, but after one listen, I became the one selfishly hogging it, listening to it over and over (and over) again.
Lenola are four boys from South Jersey. Apparently, they started out in the early 90's with a more shoegazer-sound. (Okay, yeah, so who didn't?) But with this 2001 release, they bring a more sonic-meets-folk approach to their songs, calling to mind another fave band of ours, The Flaming Lips.
The CD opens with a gentle number titled "First Floor Killer," that starts with a slow, feedback-laden, dirge-y sound, but then as the song progresses, tinkly bells chime in, and like the sun peeking out from the storm, the boys chime in, too, with some lovely harmonies. As they sing "Before I go, before I leave/Can you say it again, repeat it please", it totally calls to mind Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (or maybe just Crosby, Stills & Nash. ; ) Ha!) It's just gorgeous and so unexpected!
I put "Cast Your Lines" on a mix tape for us to listen to in the car (that's right, we don't have a CD player in the auto), and Mike was totally surprised to learn it was Lenola. Apparently, this bouncy, straight-forward pop ditty is a departure from their usual lo-fi sound. After the first verse, when the soaring fuzzy guitars kick in, Mike nodded his head and said, "Okay, this sounds like Lenola..."
"Derelict Organ" has a bizarre keyboard thing going-on that is so weird and erratic it just sticks in your head. Kinda like the guitar riff on P. Diddy's "Bad Boy for Life". No, I'm not kidding. It ends with a rambling drum solo that's totally Flaming Lips to me.
And then there's the amazing, dreamy "White-Lined Knuckle Landing" with Jay Laughlin's high-pitched, sweet vocals glazed over the Beach-Boys-esque melodies.
If I have to say something bad, I will say "Slipping Under The Shadows" sounds a bit too much like that REO Speedwagon song "Heard it from a friend who/Heard it from a friend who..." mixed with Madder Rose's "Swim". And it just seems to go on and on.
But then who the hell cares when it's followed up by the amazing "Come Back to Retreat" which is just this incredible slice of pop heaven! There's this amazing break-down after the first verses where it just kinda ambles down, and every time I hear it, it just kills me! Soooo swoonworthy!
This latest disc inspired Mike to dig out some older Lenola stuff, and before he left for work this morning, Mike suggested I take a listen to 'em. Oh, man, something new for me to obsess over! ; )... (janice.01.02)
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