Labels: Damnably
Review by: MH
The email that this came in on told me that Lazarus Clamp has been around for a good few years – over 20 in fact – and this is the band’s sixth full length. This suggests I should have heard of them by now but alas they have not cropped up on my travels over the past two decades. They plays a kind of laidback and meandering indie which is perhaps a little hard to pinpoint. The tracks are all slow to mid-paced with an intricate structure while the vocals are distinctive and almost deliberated. They are a clear focal point on the album and there is also a violin or something of that ilk throughout. Lyrically there is a lot going on too and topics are offbeat and almost abstract at times. While I used the word “laidback” earlier, there’s an underlying bitterness and darker side to some of the lyrics on tracks like “The Horse You Rode In On” and “Magpie”. If you’d like a song to start off with then I’d recommend “We Are In The Water” which has a really nice guitar sound and reminds me of The Decemberists – it’s an excellent song. The borderline celebratory anthem that is “Let’s Get Fired” should also turn a few heads.
Damnably has a habit of serving up bands that have a bit of history and they have been very consistent too as every one I’ve picked up from them in the review pile has been well worth a listen. The same goes for this one and it’s been very much a slow burner for me. I’m even tempted to delve into their back catalogue although five previous albums and a bunch of singles seems quite daunting at this stage on a Sunday morning!