I'm very lazy when it comes to writing about music. Always lots of comparisons and categorizations. Lots of making up genres so that I can place bands in them. I've tried to get better about it, but I just don't think I possess the writing chops to talk about music without making comparisons to things I've heard before.
Looms' latest release, How It Has to Be, presents me with a good opportunity for trying to get out of that rut. The four-piece of Sharif Mekawy (vocals / keys / guitar), Louis Cozza (drums), A. Hammond Murray (bass), and Harry Morris, Jr. (guitar) combine influences into a sound that's atmospheric, immersive, intricate, and accessible. I listened to How It Has to Be a great deal on my recent long road trip with CoolDaughter 1, and the songs provided a welcome sense of space to the cockpit of the car.
Opener "Cages" is like lift-off for the whole record. The song builds to its cruising speed as the guitars and keys push everything forward. The bendy, dreamy guitars in the chorus are some of my favorite little moments on the album.
I shared "Tomorrow" here about a month ago, and it's one of the most hopeful songs on the album. It's got a bit of a 70s AM radio vibe. Sounds like that always take me back to being driven around in the summer in my parents' 1973 Dodge Dart Swinger.
On "Floodlines," Mekawy sings of being "on the other side now," maybe feeling a little bit of empathy for someone he left behind in the past. And "Winter Here," another early single, floats on synths and some intricate guitar as Mekawy pines for someone who couldn't stick it out with him for another winter in New York. There's a song called "New York" which makes it clear that Mekawy would find it difficult to leave the city permanently himself. It grooves while painting a picture of a slower, civilized Mediterranean lifestyle that still can't take his mind off of what waits for him back home.
OK. Remember that thing I said about trying to avoid comparisons and all that? Well, I can't let "Untitled" go by without mentioning how much it reminds me of Wilco. And, here anyway, calling a song "Untitled" makes perfect sense with lyrics like, "What the hell am I trying to say? What is it I'm playing for?"
Album closer "Only One" -- about how time can slow down when you're down -- has its quiet verses separated by an epic swell before going out on what sounds like a field recording of crickets. The matter-of-fact delivery on the lyric, "I just miss you..." is one of those little things here that is just done so well.
Small, impressive details are everywhere on How It Has to Be. Looms call on an obviously deep musical knowledge to piece together whatever sounds or styles are right for a particular story, and they're excellent craftspeople.
How It Has to Be is available now from Little Dickman Records.
No comments :
Post a Comment