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KMANTHIE.WORDPRESS.COM
CD Reviews - May 3, 2013
Kent Manthie
Driven
kmanthie.wordpress.com
“DRIVEN” TO BE GREAT
On their fourth and latest CD, The Lost Patrol continue in their
oblique, atmospheric pop candy (but NOT bubblegum!) and it just keeps
getting better and better. It’s full of breathy, catchy, indie pop
tunes. But one that really sticks out is track 10, “Just Go”,
a song that comes off like an old jazz standard, a la Billie Holliday,
etc. But, since all the songs are written by The Lost Patrol, it’s
their own tune, but I love the way they make it sound like an old tune
– it has that “old” style, recording technique that
sounds like it was recorded in 1958 instead of 2013. Mollie Israel, the
lead singer, does a fabulous job on all the songs – she has a lovely
voice and, after hearing “Just Go”, one can see that she has
a wide range of musical styles.
The rest of Driven is filled with ethereal, mellow and sometimes
emotional indie pop bliss. “See You In Hell” is an edgy song
that sounds like a “drop dead” letter to someone who deserves
it – an ex who ruined a relationship, someone who was trusted but
betrayed that trust and so on. “Disguise”, the closer, is
a pretty, ballad-esque romantic tune to dance to or to just sit in your
room and brood over.
Listening to Driven more and more, when I peel back all the layers
of the studio bells & whistles, so to speak, I can hear a big influence
from music of the 50s and 60s. I don’t mean “Doo-Wop”
or “Elvis-ish” rock & roll, but more of an R&B flavor
in it, that’s where the emotion and the laid-back feeling come in.
Back when they were still new and trying to find a footing, they would
try to make “soundtrack”-type music, as in experimental stuff
that one might find on a soundtrack to a dreamy film, say, one by David
Lynch or Wim Wenders. This foray into textural sounds and experimentation
helped to set the mold for what they’re currently up to. It must
be working since they have a good sized fan base here in the U.S., are
critical darlings of music press writers, most notably in New York City.
Also, they’ve managed to attract attention from listeners all over
the globe; from countries such as Australia, Spain, Peru, Japan and Serbia
to name a few.
Another big plus for The Lost Patrol is that they’ve managed
to catch the attention of certain film and TV projects: since around 2010
TLP has gotten momentum by having some of their music placed on the teeny-bopper
delight TV show, Gossip Girl. While I know Gossip Girl
isn’t exactly high culture (or even “high-brow”) it
is nice to be able to have millions of 8th and 9th graders watching a
show on which your music is featured. An even better place to be placed
is in Hal Hartley’s new project, Meanwhile. Also, TLP will
be featured in an upcoming film by writer/director Amy Heckerling, Vamps
which will feature songs of theirs from their previous albums, Midnight
Matinee and Dark Matter as well as some original stuff.
The Lost Patrol continues to grow and evolve with their elegant
mixture of cinematic soundscapes and retro-futuristic pop, playing live
performances on both the East and West Coasts. Having followed their career
for the past few CDs or so, I’d have to say that Driven
is definitely their best effort yet. It has a lush dreaminess with a verve
and elan that just keep getting keener with each passing release. Besides
the aforementioned songs on Driven, I thought I’d give
a shout out to both the opener, “Spinning” as well as “All
Tomorrow’s Promises”, both of which have swirls of lunar effects,
but it’s an album that is a great listen, all the way through. After
getting lost in the music of Driven, I can’t wait for their
next, sure to be pleasing, CD. For now, though, keep an eye out for Vamps,
the latest Amy Heckerling film as well as Hal Hartley’s new project,
the aforementioned Meanwhile. Hartley is known for making interesting
films and I’m sure this one won’t disappoint. -KM
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