Ourlives, Den of Lions, 2014

Album Review and Welcome, Henry

I used to do a lot more album reviews here. That was back when I went to fewer shows, took fewer pictures, and exercised more (Ah, "Sunday Run Album Review." We miss you.). As much as I love sitting in my little hidey hole editing hundreds of photos (I'm not kidding there, by the way.), I feel that I've been neglecting one of the primary things this blog was originally about: recommending new stuff for you to hear. As more things have hit the inbox, I just haven't been able to keep up.

So, a few weeks ago, I sent out a call for help. Henry Lipput to the rescue. Henry is a dad, originally from Neptune, with a deep and abiding love for pop and, especially, The Beatles. We meet Henry for the first time via his review of Den of Lions by Icelandic duo Ourlives.

Thanks for picking up the slack, Henry.

Ourlives, Den of Lions

By Henry Lipput

Den of Lions, the new disc by Iceland’s Ourlives, is a welcome treat for those of us who enjoy the pleasures of chamber pop.  Although the band, made up of Jón Björn Árnason and Leifur Kristinsson, has been putting out music for nine years, Den of Lions is their debut full-length release in this country.

The album brings to mind Parachutes-era Coldplay (before they became arena rockers), the sensitivity of Travis (especially my fav "Why Does It Always Rain On Me"), the keening vocals of, er, Keane, and, on more than one song, their harmonies sound not unlike The Posies on that band’s second album Dear 23.

Den of Lions is a lovely listen and, like the best chamber pop, is chock full of melancholy (and that‘s a good thing!).  Album highlights include the complex "Anything Can Happen" with its "Eleanor Rigby"-like strings, the gorgeous "Nuna," the Travis-influenced "Out Of Place," the tip of the hat to the Moody Blues that is "Blurry Eyes," the fuzzy guitar and harmonies on "Loose Lips," and the wide-screen orchestrations on the piano-based "We Lost The Race."

Den of Lions is out now on Spartan Records.



Henry Lipput is a certified music snob.  He has written CD reviews for Pittsburgh Boomers, OutMaturity.com, and, most recently, Lake Oconee Boomers.  He is happy to now be part of CoolDadMusic.com and welcomes bouquets and brickbats on the Twitter at @Hlipput.