Ben Schneider of Michigan started Lord Huron four years ago as a musical and visual project. Now it has grown into a touring band with its own distinct set of characters and stories.
Ask frontman Schneider who his hero is and he will likely mention George Ranger Johnson, an imaginary Western adventure novelist with only a website existence. Now the band has returned with Long Lost as their fourth album release.
Lonesome Dreams
Lonesome Dreams debuted Michigan natives Ben Schneider (lead vocals and guitar), Mark Barry (percussion/vocals) as well as Sacramento residents Miguel Briseno (bass, percussion) and Tom Renaud (guitar) with two EP releases before its full-length debut titled Lonesome Dreams in 2016. Their full-length debut features rustic Americana that draws parallels between Fleet Foxes and Father John Misty while Schneider weaves characters and stories into an overarching narrative mystique that seamlessly.
Lord Huron’s music captures our human desire for adventure and grit through songs that capture that natural longing for open skies unburdened by buildings or concrete and an eagerness to live out one’s life as fully as possible. Acoustic instrumentals often bring dreamlike ambiance that suggests more expansive worlds than what can typically be found in contemporary pop.
Strange Trails
Lord Huron made an impressionful debut album with Lonesome Dreams from Michigan natives-turned California residents Lord Huron. Their second release Strange Trails adds dramatic flair and complex characters with intricate narratives drawn from movie trailers and comic books – while their songs blend rustic rockers and haunting singer/songwriter style excursions seamlessly together.
The album opens with “Love Like Ghosts,” an upbeat folk tune reminiscent of Fleet Foxes. After this comes “Until the Night Turns”, which showcases their country-rock style more.
Strange Trails takes listeners on an emotionally charged journey with songs about death (“Frozen Pines”), love (“Fool for Love”) or the end of the world (“The World Ender”). By its conclusion, listeners have experienced Lord Huron’s music‘s full range of emotions.
Vide Noir
Lord Huron released their third full-length album, Vide Noir, on April 20, 2018, via Whispering Pines/Republic Records (a change for them as their two previous records were released through IAMSOUND). On this record they feature more electronic instruments like theremin and Mellotron for an edge to give it more of a garage rock sound.
Lonesome Dreams and Strange Trails presents the band with a darker tone than their latest release, featuring lyrics that explore rural despair and heartache with cosmic overtones. Yet their music explores new terrain as “Never Ever” and “Ancient Names, Pt. 1” both feature distorted bass guitar and punky drums to give their songs added punch and vitality.
Lord Huron have undergone significant transformations over time, yet their songwriting remains iconic Lord Huron. Frontman Ben Schneider still sings melodies and plays acoustic guitar at the core of every track on Vide Noir; however, their sound has become sharper due to a new producer, Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Baroness and MGMT), who gave this record an audaciously heavy psychedelic edge.
Long Lost
Fiona discovers in a library in Lost Lake an intriguing book about two sisters who loved each other deeply, yet became estranged after one died. Fiona wonders whether or not such an outcome could happen to her as well.
Lord Huron often explores forbidden and unrequited love in his work, with this track providing a refreshing change of pace with its electric buzz and distorted guitar that give it the feel of a rock song.
Long Lost continues the band‘s tradition of mixing different genres to form its distinctive sound, and this album is no different. At times it feels like classic rock album from the 70s with good-time rolling rhythms and Beatles-esque melodies; at other times the music becomes dissonant or even psychedelic suggesting temporal disassociation; similar to how Radiohead used noise manipulation and electronic manipulation during OK Computer, Kid A and Amnesiac.
