Band: Two Loons For Tea
Album: Nine Lucid Dreams
Genre: indie pop/jazz/folk
Label: Sarathan
Tracks:
1. Sunset Room
2. Monkey
3. Tragically Hip
4. Waiting
5. Consuela
6. Strongest Man in The World
7. Marietta
8. Eyebrow's Are Nature's Makeup
9. Dixie It Up!
10. Toxic Shellfish in the Sun
11. (Non Lucid Dream)
12. Stand On Your Head
I've mentioned before how much I love random packages coming in the mail filled with music and this statement may have never been as true as it is now. While working on an interview [coming next week, but it's a secret], I received a package form a p.r. agency with the band's album, but also an additional record by a group I'd never heard of called, Two Loons For Tea. Now at first, I was a little put off by such a name, as I had no idea what to make of it, but I knew with a name like that and an album title like, "Nine Lucid Dreams," that this band was a bit different than the punk laced release that accompanied it. The "Two Loons" are Sarah Scott and Jonathon Kochmer, are not lovers, just music lovers who, when put together, are able to craft what s easily one of the best indie pop albums to come out in a long time.
Nine Lucid Dreams plays like the soundtrack to a summer spent on patios at coffee shops. It's lush with instrumentation and Scott's vocals are soft yet full of heart and pull you through the speakers with a subtle urgency. "Sunset Room," the opener, starts off like a Bjork song as far as instrumentation goes, but builds with additional layers until Scott enters with a voice that welcomes you to the record. It's a very jazz-like track full of thick bass lines and crooning vocals. The following track, "Monkey," has a less than inspired lyrical backdrop, but the music makes you want to dance. It's not some pulsating beat, but rather just a solid groove that you find yourself swaying along to in no time.There's a sort os sassy appeal to sarah Scott's vocals on the album. her voice is genuinely unique and full of heart and woe, but on tracks like the stunning, "Waiting," you can't deny the way she accents her words. It's simply amazing, and once put together with Kochman's backing, it's an undeniable force of music. "Those looking for an acoustic lead song need not look farther than the Jewel-esque, "Strongest Man in The World," which is sure to draw instant references to the folk singer's Pieces of You era. This may be the best track the band has to offer, as it keeps true to the jazz influence pop they offer, but it's single worthy hook and cry to "runaway" just feels meant for contemporary radio. "Dixie It Up," a track which is true to it's title musically brings back faint memories of The Beatles in their Sgt. Pepper's era and that's saying something. The final track, "Stand on Your Head," is a moving piece that has a very atmospheric sound. Scott pierces a wall of moody bass and light drums to tell a tale of child whose lost their way in life. Kochman's accompaniment has never fit as well as it does on this track as he uses not only drums, but bells and chimes, and even a xylophone to assist Scott. It may be a soft song, but it packs a lot of heart and leaves you feeling refreshed and happy.
The sound of Two Loons for Tea is not the most original concept to come out of the musical woodwork, but it is for sure something to notice. Sarah Scott and Jonathon Kochman flawlessy weave indie pop simplicity with thick jazz grooves to mold a sound that is hard to deny as anything less than stunning. "Nine Lucid Dreams," is definitely not an album for everyone, but if you're someone who can truly appreciate real art in the music world, this may be the best album you hear all year.
*Written By: James Shotwell*
Grade: 8.5/10
MYSPACE
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