Friday, September 12, 2014

Ray Lamontagne "Supernova"


The musical chameleon.  Lamontagne was actually mentioned in my very first post with one of 2008's best releases.  That album, "Gossip In The Grain," was a complete shift in style from the previous record, "Till The Sun Turns Black," which was, and still is, my favorite of his.  A couple of years ago, he went folk/country/Americana with "God Willin'..." and won a Grammy.  Since he's a star now, I couldn't help but hear about how this new album was another cosmic shift, this time straight back to the 60's.  Had a great debut in North America and a decent showing in the UK, France and Australia.  Noticed a tour stop locally but it was being held in a venue notorious for difficult acoustics.  Figured I'd load the record onto the thumb drive and crank it up in the auto to see if it would trump my concerns about the concert hall.........................and it didn't.  Hell, it barely made the grade to keep at all, and like the Pink Mountaintops from the previous post, only digitally.  No Featured 500 for "Supernova."  

The 60's sound is all there, alright, layer upon layer of reverberated psychedelic pop/country-rock with fuzzed-up guitars, Mellotrons & Wurlitzers.........I should love this shit, but half the album was as blasé as a non-bubbling lava lamp, you know, the light works but the goo doesn't move.  Hell, on a couple of tracks I wouldn't have known it was him singing if you had given me a "name this artist" sample.  During the spins I heard some Lennon leanings, "Pet Sounds" similarities and some early Van Morrison...
 


Hand down, this title track is the best of the bunch.  It takes about three days to work its way out of my brain after hearing it.  The album's closer (track 10) is the next best selection, so with the title song coming in at #7.....that's a lot of iffy amongst the body.  Ahhhhhhhh, maybe this is why..............
the album is produced by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach.   I  DO  NOT  UNDERSTAND  THE   FASCINATION  WITH   THIS  MAN!!!!!

Dude, get away from the artists I like, please....


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