Lincoln's Beard
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Lincolns Beard has created something delightfully nostalgic with their
latest self-titled release—they’ve produced an album wholly deficient of
synthetic sound. This is a band’s band—the type you’d expect to see
jamming backstage immediately after a sold out show. Their sound is one of
guitars, pianos, and voices, and not much else. It’s translatable to even
the most untrained ear.
And isn’t that always the way of great artists? We stare and we listen,
thinking “I could do that.” “That doesn’t seem so difficult,” we insist. But
from that simplicity comes the magic. It’s one of those great paradoxes of
music. We want something catchy but complicated. We want something
memorable but poetic. So those who make the complicated seem commonplace,
the contemporary archaic, those of us who are able to decipher emotion into
note are so often misinterpreted as being average because we incorrectly
assume that simple is synonymous with easy . But the truth is that NO, in
fact, we could not do that. Though Lincoln’s Beard can. And therein lies
the beauty of their newest album.
There is a pleasantly unclean feeling to the album, the type of which has
mostly vanished from the overproduced, electronically influenced radio
tracks of present. The point? They sound as good in your living room as
on stage, and that, is something special.
From the opening track “Emmision,” they begin this delicate balance. The
lead vocals are unassumingly passionate, like a philosopher whispering,
while the background horn comes at you heavy though without sounding
overbearing. Skip ahead to “Gold,” the best track on the album, and you’ll
hear the enigma that is Lincoln’s Beard fully flushed out. It sounds like
the soul of a Montana truck stop, with the rugged authority of lyrics like,
“And all those lights on the highway, they remind him of the home he left
so long ago to be with you.” Though simultaneously, its melody drops
optimistically, with the calmness of a dinging triangle.
Like the northwest, their sound is local. So if you haven’t heard of
Lincoln’s Beard—you soon will. And whether it is in your living room,
backstage at a concert, or at your favorite venue, I envy your ability to
see them for the first time. Because once you allow yourself the freedom
of enjoying the rawness of a voice and a few guitars—you’ll be hooked.
- Jonathon Kendall
LB is the featured artist on Nettleingham Audio, where you can download a LB ringtone!
Thanks to Brian Ripp, Divergent Clothing for the 3rd, yes 3rd album design!
Ripp Divergent
Give it up for Clayton Guitar Picks! Clayton picks are the only picks we use!
Kris of LB
We made the cover story for the Vancouver Voice, July 2011 issue!
Great photo shoot with OneLovePhotography!
