A Musical Train

For as much as we love music, we're both a bit behind when it comes to the new technologies. Friends and family both seem to scarf up Spotify and let Pandora take their musical tastes to new places and destinations. However, we've still relied on the old ways of personal recommendations and stumbling upon some new sound that catches us. (It seems to be more kismet that way, and what's music and our connection to it but an aligning of guitar and heartstrings?)

Recently, though, Amazon's addition of Prime music to their membership has suckered us into new albums and new playlists. Using the "Other Customer's Also Listened To..." as a guide has led us to some excellent tunes. But the pre-made playlists have also opened up our ear holes. Admittedly, yes, many of the playlists contain the same tracks / types of songs--especially from familiar / popular artists--but they also slip in a few lesser knowns, many of which become our favorites from the list. Lord Huron and his recent release of Lonesome Dreams is one such newfound favorite.

After hearing "Ends of the Earth," we were hooked, both humming the melody and chorus before we even fully new the words. It's a fantastic track to be sure (and the video is pretty cool, too, yes?), and an excellent opener to the album. Between it and the album artwork, a "journey" of sorts is established and carries through the whole of the album. Many of the songs--similar to "Ends of the Earth"--have a strumming pattern or percussion style that echoes the chug-chug-chugging of a train. And, of course, many of the lyrics reflect this idea of a cross-country trek. The whole thing becomes an anthem for a train trip, riding the rails with Lord Huron, learning of his love, dreams, and aspiration as the journey presses on.

If you like what you hear here, you'll enjoy the rest of the album, too. And if you don't want to take our word for it, feel free to move beyond us and our technological hesitance and give this a go via Spotify. It's a great ride to take and one that will be carrying these two listeners towards Lord Huron's next release.