Mar 23 2009
Loch Lomond: Paper the Walls
ARTIST – LOCH LOMOND
OTO Rating – 7/10
CD – PAPER THE WALLS
LABEL – HUSH RECORDS
SOUNDS LIKE – Sufjan Stevens, Iron and Wine
DEFINING MOMENTS – Scabs on This Year, Stripe II, Song in 3/4. All your Friends are Smiling
STRENGTH – Musical Versatility and Depth, Originality
WEAKNESS – Unorthodox and eccentric vocal delivery, Marketability
Portland’s own Loch Lomond releases their 3rd CD entitled Paper the Walls in the Fall of 2007. Fronted by vocalist, songwriter and musical visionary Richey Young, Loch Lomond is to say the least an interesting and unique musical project that has anywhere between 6 to 9 members depending on what day of the week it is. Some of these members are from other Portland acts like Norfolk and Western, Horse Feathers, and Dolorean. The music has a rich celtic flavor to it. The CD lists 7 members presently that contribute in many different ways. Richey Young sings but also plays guitar, bass and percussion. Other members play cello, piano, drums, fiddle, but all sing in an orchestral fashion very much like a Baroque Folk Symphony.
The musical depth of Paper the Walls is quite impressive. There is a wealth of musical verity sprinkled everywhere throughout this production. You will notice hints of bells, mandolin, guitar. piano, strings, violin, chello, theremin, whirly bells, banjo, and even a saw layered everywhere. What comes out the other end is an impressive landscape of music that fills the space well, and intrigues the listener at the same time. The CD kicks off with Carl Sagan, a melancholy song about Young’s childhood. Only Young can truly understand the meaning of some of these songs. There are some amazing ballads and melodic gems on this CD like Scabs on This Year, Northern, knee, trees and Lights, a Field Report and Witchy. My 2 favorite songs are towards the end; Stripe II, Song in ¾. The final piece All your Friends are Smiling is the perfect finale song to this CD. This musical production took alot of skill, work, and brilliance to produce. As a team these 7 members work extremely well together sharing the musical space equally, with musical accents and touches that are conservative and fit extremely well.
The gentle voice of Richey Young works, but it’s quite unorthodox, quirky, and comes across as overly eccentric sounding. It possesses alot of variety but at times suffers from multiple personality disorder. At times you cannot tell what gender the voice belongs to. In his best moments Young’s bright melodic voice flutters around like a butterfly, reminiscent of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. I give Young high marks for his originality and songwriting brilliance, but his vocal eccentricity takes some time to get used to. Eventually you come to a place where you just roll with it. This eccentricity extends into the lyrical content of the songs, as it is a challenge to fully comprehend their meaning. As a result some will struggle to identify with Loch Lomond and come to its center. To get Loch Lomond one must have an open mind and a pure heart. Unfortunately I don’t expect everyone has it within their capacity to appreciate Loch Lomond, or Richey Young for that matter. If I could say anything to Richey Young I would say come a bit more the the mainstream canter with your vocal delivery. We’ve seen artists like James Blunt pull it off, why not you? Young has also proven himself a worthy composer, and is no doubt a gifted musical savant. I would’nt be surprised to see Young commanding a full orchestra ensemble oneday.
I give high marks to Paper the Walls for it’s deep musical depth and vocal orchestration. The strength of Loch Lomond lies in it’s wide versatility, and brilliant originality. All 7 member bring a lot to the table for the listener, so it’s definitely worthy of your time. There are not many bands, projects out there quite like Loch Lomond. If you dug up this gem in your back yard you should consider it a rare find that shines with a unique brilliance that is quite uncommon. If you have an open mind, an pure heart you need to give Paper the Walls at least 36 minutes of your time. Trust me you’ll be coming back for more.
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