No Reinvention Needed On Lionlimb's 'Shoo'

Originally started in 2010, Lionlimb is the psychedelic rock brainchild of Nashville songwriter Stewart Bronaugh, with drummer Joshua Jaeger completing the two-piece lineup. The duo spent the majority of 2014 touring as part of Missouri songstress Angel Olsen's backing band, with this time serving as the incubation period for the collection of songs that would eventually become 'Shoo'.

Straight off the bat, it's clear that these guys know exactly who they want to be. This is a record that knows exactly what its identity is – it gives off a huge seventies vibe, conjuring images of smoky bars and late night wrongdoings without sounding contrived or clichéd.

'Shoo' has a rich, expansive sound that seems to envelope the listener, topped off with a precisely understated vocal that sets the tone perfectly. Bronaugh's subtle melodies carry the record, in fact – they aren't in your face, but they're every bit as catchy as any piece of overblown radio pop.

There seems to be a host of influences drawn together on 'Shoo' – there are obvious echoes of Elliott Smith with a frequent nod to Bowie, and the occasional swirling keyboard part lends a tinge of The Doors to proceedings. The record puts these alongside tones of jazz, gospel and blues to create a record that is nostalgic, vibrant and fresh in one swoop.

In all, 'Shoo' is a very solid collection of songs, boasting some clever arrangements and instrumentation. There's a variety of moods and sounds on display, and the album pauses and breathes in all the right places, just as a good album should.

Despite this, the tone of the album can get tiresome, with the tracks blending into one organ-heavy, wah-guitar dirge. While the strength of the individual songs is evident immediately, it does take repeated listens for the strength of this album as a complete piece of work to really shine.

While this album contains no less than three singles, it is two album tracks, 'Ride' and 'Lemonade', that stand out, leaving singles 'Domino', 'Turnstile' and 'Just Because' in their dust. 'Ride' is a strong example of the variety on the record; a brooding sax intro slides into a haunting verse vocal, before giving way to a chorus built around bright keyboards and upbeat drums. The album does also have its missteps – despite some of the best sax lines on the record, 'Blame Time' has a clunky, awkward feel that leaves it jarringly at odds with the understated cool of the rest of 'Shoo'.

I'm sure Lionlimb have achieved exactly what they wanted to with this record – it's a very solid, very cool, very immersive listen. The identity and tone of the album is as strong as any I've heard so far this year. Sure, 'Shoo' isn't reinventing the wheel – but who says it needs to?

8/10

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