By Henry Lipput
Forever Or Never, the new album from LAKE, is their 8th release. Led by the songwriting partnership of wife and husband Ashley Eriksson and Elijah Moore, the band is a self-described "experimental pop ensemble."
However, for an album produced by an experimental pop group, Forever Or Never turns out to be a very enjoyable listen and in a lot places it's really fun.
LAKE has obviously been influenced by more than a few bands popular on FM radio back in those glory days of the 1970s and 1980s and aren't afraid to lift sounds from them. One of the best examples is the Steely Dan organ riff on the title song "Forever Or Never."
Three wonderful songs with lead vocals by Eriksson, "On The Swing," the synth-laden "Trouble" (a new favorite of mine), and "We Can Work It Out," recall the less-acoustic work of The Roches, especially the sisters' 1985 Another World album. "Gone Against The Wind," also sung by Eriksson, has some of these elements but is one of the hardest rocking songs on the album. She also contributes lead vocals to the jazzy "Magazine."
"Work With What You Got," written by occasional (and current) LAKE member Mark Morisson, is a keyboard-driven romp with a terrific fuzzed-guitar solo (he also wrote "Push And Pull," a fine example of blue-eyed soul). "Give Back," with vocals by Moore, also features a prominent keyboard and, in many ways, is a throwback to early Hall and Oates.
"Christian Comedians," in addition to opening with "I Am The Walrus" strings and containing wonderful backing vocals from Eriksson, sounds a lot like an Andy Partridge song from XTC's "Apple Venus" album (which had a lot of strings too). And, as I have often said in calling out influences, that's a good thing.
Forever Or Never is out now on Tapete Records.
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