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lorna
static patterns and souvenirs • words on music • 2005
Lorna have crafted one of the finest slow, dreamy pop albums of the year so far. The melodies and harmonies are all lovely and the instumentation and arrangements are rich, varied, and sophisticated. Though hailing from Nottingham, England, they have a penchant for American sounds like harmonica, banjo, and steel guitar. You'll also hear some horns and some electronic beats and textures. At times the hushed vocal harmonies recall Kings of Convenience, and at other times they are strongly reminiscent of Low and labelmates Coastal, especially with the sparse tracks "Homerun" and "Illuminations." Favorites for me are the chiming "Understanding Heavy Metal Parts I and II," "The Last Mosquito Fight of Summer" with its swinging brushed drumbeat and faux theremin, and "He Dreams of Spaceships" with its bleepy organ bits. The Words on Music label is your seal of quality, and this release is no exception to that rule. (mike.09.05)
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This is so lovely!
Lorna originally began in 1997 as a solo-project by Mark Rolfe as a lo-fi bedroom recording project. Then he added Sharon Cohen's lovely voice to the mix, but the downside was that she lived far away, so she would add her vocals over Mark's work via the internet. Since then, she has moved to his hometown of Nottingham, UK, and a full five-piece band has fleshed out.
Together, they create some amazingly pretty, gentle, dreamy tunes. With their quiet acoustic-based tunes, touched with hints of violin, viola, cello and more, I was instantly reminded of Mojave 3. Even the gorgeous dual singing of Mark Rolfe and Sharon Cohen reminded me of Neil & Rachel! But, of course, Lorna add their own distinctive touches with some experimental electronic bits and even some alt-country folky influences. All in all, a wonderful debut! (janice.09.03)
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