El Lago - Colors

Debut album from Galveston (Texas) quartet is awash in dreamy, cascading guitars, and post-rock slowcore arrangements that huddle around Lauren Eddy’s Bjork-like vocals for an exhilarating experience of narcoleptic ecstasy. To be sure, this is not dancefloor music for party freaks, but more for beardstrokers sitting crosslegged on the floors in front of their stereos with headphones set to stun volumes. ‘Tell Me How It Ends’ ups the tempo to a slow gallop, and ‘Room To Room’ wrings out some emotional pleas from Eddy that should have all concerned running to her rescue.

While not suffering under the burdensome “Gothic” tag, the songs will appeal to fans of Robert (The Cure) Smith’s intricate guitar lines, while more esoteric listeners may hear strains of Vini Reilly’s Durutti Column. The light and fluffy ‘Devotion’ may be the most “accessible” track and should be an introductory single to barker in the fence-sitters (the band/label’s selection, ‘Into The Clearing’ is pleasant, but may be a tad gloomy), and closer ‘Dinner Guests’ is a bit vociferous considering the surroundings, and feels like it came off a different album, but suggests the band have more energetic tunes up their sleeves for next time, which we’ll be looking forward to.

In sum: thankfully, Eddy lets the music breathe, and the lengthy instrumental passages create a restful background for going about your daily activities. They also work great on your portable device for that next walk through the fields or along a path in the local forest.