Album Review: Lord Huron – The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1
2 min read
LA natives Lord Huron had their signature sound nailed out of the gate. Singer and composer Ben Schneider original created the project as a solo venture, but it soon grew into a fully fledge band, one that has found major success with songs such as The Night We Met and Ends of the Earth. The former blew up after being featured on the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why. The bands latest release, The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1, promises to be the first in a string of connected releases.
The album wastes no time, Looking Back kicking off immediately, dropping the listener into an atmospheric, reverb drenched verse. It’s a gorgeously understated introduction, leading into the more upbeat Bag of Bones with a subtle fadeout and a tape machine clicking into action. A driving mid-tempo beat and a high electric guitar line juxtapose Nothing I Need’s acoustic country picking and thumping drum beat. Who Laughs Last is another uptempo tune with a gritty bass line and the inclusion of Kristen Steward, who reads a spoken word verses. It’s a left turn on the album that is surprisingly hypnotic and is certainly unique in the track list.
The Comedian is a gorgeous waltz number that floats across on a bed of guitars, pianos and strings, while Fire Eternal featuring KAZU – aka. Kazu Makino from New York band Blonde Redhead – creates a dreamy atmosphere, leaning into KAZU’s gorgeous backing vocals. Used To Know bounces along, breaking into the poppiest chorus on the album while Huron sings of unrequited love. The final two tracks, Digging Up The Past and Life Is Strange, the former being another reverb heavy soft ballad with touches of harmonica and pretty guitar riffs, while the latter drifts along before ending in an extremely long fade out.
The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 is a collection that earns its ‘part one’ status. A lot of ideas are presented, some more enjoyable than others, but it leaves the door open for more to come, either in a similar vein or completely different. For fans, this is another great entry into Lord Huron’s catalogue, but for new listeners also it is a great starting point.
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
