Lots of strumming guitars, lots of ghostly harmonies, something very peaceful and pensive about it that makes you want to be in a forever-green forest, nothing but dirt and bark and leaves and rivers to see and touch and smell. See the title track for evidence of this theme.
Songs show a penchant for long and windy song structures that make for wonderful ballads no matter the speed, but the kind with several verse phrasings before the real chorus, an ambling melodic structure perfect for driving, campfires, unwinding. Funny, then, that I've found such solace in listening to it so close to so many screens.
This song, "She Lit a Fire," in particular has played on loop on my both my computers and in my head. It probably has the most single-appeal, potentially with the Fleet Foxes or Band of Horses fan bases.
While some could call out "Lonesome Dreams" for not showing the most variety, every track shows really rich, wonderful composition, in terms of layers. It's not an album that plays through a host of emotions or themes, but it totally doesn't need to, because there's so much going on inside the emotions and themes it's already introduced. There's loneliness, there's hopes, there's nostalgia and romance. There's flutes, claps and bells, there's harmonicas, xylophones, a million kinds of shakers, even bird calls. It's amazing, if it was all recorded live. If it was done through the magic of ProTools, well, it's still quite a landscape to realize and I would understand it. All depends on how much gets put into the live performance, I guess.
The standout track that sold me was "Lullaby," a song as classically sad and sweet as you'd ever want to hear that you don't much expect to anymore (even though you still should).
"I've been through the desert
And I've been across the sea
I've been walking through the mountains
I've wandered through the trees
For her
I have been trying to find her
Want to give what I got
She lit a fire
But now she's in my every thought
Where, could that girl have gone
Where, I've wandered far
Where, could that girl have gone
She left no trail but I cannot fail
I will find her
She lit a fire
But now she's in my every thought
She lit a fire
But now she's in my every thought
Where, could that girl have gone
Where, I've wandered far
Where, could that girl have gone
She left no trace but I know her face
I will find her
When last I saw her she was dancing all alone
Perhaps my chance was then, I'll never know
I'll search the world until there's no place left to go
And if she leaves it, I will follow
Yes I will follow
She lit a fire
But now she's in my every thought
She lit a fire
But now she's in my every thought
I've been through the desert
And I've been across the sea
I've been walking through the mountains
I've wandered through the trees
For her
I have been trying to find her
Want to give what I got
She lit a fire
But now she's in my every thought"
~She Lit a Fire
Lord Huron, Lonesome Dreams
