Monstrous Media!

At first listen, it was easy for me to brush off Family, the newest release from Le Loup, as another choral, reverb-soaked, vocal-driven indie-mush record, ready to go up on the shelf with Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket, and Co. But, much like the latter recording artists, over time the true beauty underneath the way-too-commonly-used production style, shined through. I’m obviously not here to celebrate Family as a work of pure genius but it certainly deserves a bit of praise and definitely a good listen. Le Loup has done a wonderful job layering soft, jubilant melodies over more and more layers of polyrhythms. A friendly banjo guides listeners into many of the arrangements, reminding us that we don’t HAVE to cry if we don’t want to. And, yes, the vocals are drenched in puddles or reverb, but these cathedralesque hymnals won’t drown you; these are the positive kind of hymns. Give Family a try and I bet it’ll probably stay off the shelf for the majority of the winter. Also, go see Le Loup when they come to your town cause chances are they’ll be playing with Nurses.

Le Loup – Grow

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Le Loup – Saddle Mountains

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Le Loup – Sherpa
(takes a sec to get going but shows another side of the record entirely)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Dates:

10.08.09 – Princeton, NJ – Terrace Club
10.09.09 – Baltimore, MD – The Ottobar ^
10.10.09 – Philadelphia, PA – Kungfu Necktie ^
10.11.09 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge ^
10.13.09 – Cambridge, MA – TT the Bear’s ^
10.14.09 – Montreal, QC – Il Motore ^
10.15.09 – Toronto, ON – The Drake Hotel ^
10.16.09 – Chicago, IL – Schubas ^
10.17.09 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry ^
10.18.09 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown Jr. ^
10.19.09 – Denver, CO – Hi Dive ^
10.20.09 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court ^
10.22.09 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret ^
10.23.09 – Seattle, WA – Chop Suey ^
10.25.09 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge ^
10.27.09 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill ^
10.28.09 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo ^
10.29.09 – Costa Mesa, CA – Detroit Bar ^
10.30.09 – San Diego, CA – Casbah ^
10.31.09 – Tucson, AZ – Plush ^
11.02.09 – Austin, TX – The Mohawk ^
11.03.09 – Dallas, TX – Cavern Ale House ^
11.05.09 – Atlanta, GA – Lenny’s Bar ^
11.06.09 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506 ^
11.07.09 – Washington, DC – Black Cat ^

^ – w/ Nurses