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29th June 2024Lord Huron frontman Ben Schneider boasts a silky voice reminiscent of Rick Nelson or any one of the Everly Brothers, yet his band‘s reverbed guitars, Spaghetti Western twang, and noir-tinged soundscapes aren’t tied to any specific moment in time.
Long Lost is their fourth album and it delivers all they promise – an immersive theatrical experience filled with lush string arrangements and echoing announcers.
Lonesome Dreams
After two acclaimed EPs, Michigan native Ben Schneider and his sepia-toned band of travelers return with a full-length debut LP: Lonesome Dreams. Here, the group brings their signature rhythmic clatter and dreamlike melodies in more sophisticated arrangements; creating an art folk masterpiece with loose concept arc and stunning continuity that sounds as though it had been recorded ten years prior.
The record is an Americana album with global influences; its cover shows a map covered with pins to mark all of Lord Huron’s visits around the globe. His soundscapes create an ambience of wide-open escapism; something modern city dwellers crave so desperately. His arrangements blend elements from world beat, acoustic guitar and church choir-inspired harmonies into rich yet impressionistic soundscapes that take us far away from city life.
Strange Trails
Lord Huron’s debut album was an exploration through life’s corners and crevices, exploring themes of unrequited love, foolish mistakes, and grieving loss that were riveting – yet were also part of a much greater world created by this band from Michigan-turned-California.
Strange Trails takes its name from Lake Huron, a place frontman Ben Schneider frequented as a child, and uses this inspiration to craft an immersive fictional universe filled with characters and tales. Listeners may spot details like the website for George Ranger Johnson who writes adventure novels that mirror songs such as ‘The Night We Met’ or ‘Until The Night Turns’ from Strange Trails.
Lord Huron have continued to evolve their sound from rustic folk on their debut record with 2022’s Vide Noir to more experimental sounds on Strange Trails; nevertheless, their earthy tone remains consistent across their albums. Strange Trails sees Lord Huron both grounded and expanding their musical boundaries with renewed confidence.
Vide Noir
Lord Huron created a psychedelic band film to accompany their third album Vide Noir and guest DJ Ben Schneider shares some tunes from it here on All Songs Considered – alongside versions by them of same tracks!
Buck Vernon embarks on his search for his missing fiancee. Through hallucinations, he consults Lady Moonbeam a fortune teller who advises him to follow an emerald star as advised by Lady Moonbeam and to use Vide Noir, leading him directly to Frankie Lou who died a bar singer.
Vide Noir and Long Lost both take an unexpected detour with late night songs that drift in and out of focus, yet their narrative ring familiar for anyone who’s experienced road travel with someone they care for, making their story feel all too real.
Long Lost
Long Lost by Jacqueline West will captivate readers who love Trenton Lee Stewart’s The Secret Keepers and Victoria Schwab’s City of Ghosts, offering them another atmospheric tale spanning a century-long mystery that’s sure to capture their hearts.
Lord Huron is a Los Angeles band known for their sound that conjures images of desert sunsets and winding two-lane roads, creating the sensation of open road fantasies. Led by Michigan native Ben Schneider, Lord Huron first made their mark upon indie folk-rock’s revival thanks to Fleet Foxes in 2010. With albums such as Lonesome Dreams and Strange Trails under their belts, Lord Huron quickly established themselves into a fully formed outfit, earning soundtrack credits on popular teen drama 13 Reasons Why.
The band has created such an expansive mythos that its songs are released under the names of characters from its albums’ narrative, such as Frankie Lou – a dead bar singer who helps Buck Vernon win over his love interest – or on account of time travel or from another dimension; such is evident in “Wait by the River”, wherein multiple versions of themselves can be seen performing songs that suggest this theory.
