The Leisure Society - Into The Murky Water (19/06/2011)
The Leisure Society's second album Into The Murky Water lives up to its name when its title track opens with a curious assortment of instruments; taking its time to reveal itself and intriguing the listener with little clue of what is to come. Lead vocalist Nick Hemming has a rich, folk sound to his voice, but Into The Murky Water veers away from being just another folk-pop album with the inclusion of lush orchestral music on almost every track. The orchestra works perfectly, never overwhelming the rest of the music and vocals.
The highlight of the album for me came in the form of You Could Keep Me Talking; an uplifting track, comprised of delightful musical and vocal arrangement. Another standout comes in the second-to-last track Better Written Off (Than Written Down), where the band deviate slightly from the rest of the albums' sound, creating a quirky country swing.
Among the artists listed as influences by The Leisure Society are Belle & Sebastian and The Kinks. The inspiration of these two bands is apparent on Into The Murky Water; however, it's not an overly obvious influence, rather just a noticeable appreciation.
Many of Into The Murky Water's tracks are slow-buildings songs, and this works well for the most part. However some of the slower tracks do lose a bit of momentum at the midway point, such as Our Hearts Burn Like Damp Matches and The Hungry Years, which is still a beautiful song, especially when it picks up towards the end.
Into The Murky Water has a generally optimistic feeling to it; not just in the bright musical arrangements, but also in the positive mood of the lyrical content. On Although We All Are Lost, Hemming sings; "We make every mistake, finding the long way around. But having tasted diffidence, we know we're happy now." It's a nice change from the often sombre mood of many folk pop releases.
Into The Murky Water is a charming, joyous and easy to enjoy album. I was won-over almost instantly by the opening track and, unlike some albums which start brilliantly and then seem to trail off, Into The Murky Water manages to consistently deliver enjoyable songs right up until the closing track.
Chelsea McIntyre
The highlight of the album for me came in the form of You Could Keep Me Talking; an uplifting track, comprised of delightful musical and vocal arrangement. Another standout comes in the second-to-last track Better Written Off (Than Written Down), where the band deviate slightly from the rest of the albums' sound, creating a quirky country swing.
Among the artists listed as influences by The Leisure Society are Belle & Sebastian and The Kinks. The inspiration of these two bands is apparent on Into The Murky Water; however, it's not an overly obvious influence, rather just a noticeable appreciation.
Many of Into The Murky Water's tracks are slow-buildings songs, and this works well for the most part. However some of the slower tracks do lose a bit of momentum at the midway point, such as Our Hearts Burn Like Damp Matches and The Hungry Years, which is still a beautiful song, especially when it picks up towards the end.
Into The Murky Water has a generally optimistic feeling to it; not just in the bright musical arrangements, but also in the positive mood of the lyrical content. On Although We All Are Lost, Hemming sings; "We make every mistake, finding the long way around. But having tasted diffidence, we know we're happy now." It's a nice change from the often sombre mood of many folk pop releases.
Into The Murky Water is a charming, joyous and easy to enjoy album. I was won-over almost instantly by the opening track and, unlike some albums which start brilliantly and then seem to trail off, Into The Murky Water manages to consistently deliver enjoyable songs right up until the closing track.
Chelsea McIntyre