SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LAME DRIVERS – BECOME AN ISLAND

LAME DRIVERS
BECOME AN ISLAND
JIGSAW RECORDS/BLEEDING GOLD

The famed NYC slacker-core indie-rock group Lame Drivers has just released a new 13-track album, Become an Island, a rock-centred body of work with a similar musical tone.

Beginning with the opening tune, “Become an Island,” the band embarked on a rock guitar wild pursuit. Of course, in addition to the drums and singing, the premiere track, which is an artistic reflection of 1980s college radio, is an excellent introduction to the album’s rock-centric tone and approach. The music is a fantastic blend of early R.E.M. and Teenage Fanclub channelling their best take on Big Star. Introducing “Become an Island” at the opening of their newly released albums, as they did with “Eyes,” the first track from their 2015 album Chosen Era, establishes Lame Drivers as maestros in album launch track selection.

The band then transitioned to a core rock song, “My Problem,” in a hard style with the introduction of the bass guitar, the rock drum roll, and the crispy rock guitar chords and melodic lines before fully immersing themselves in the music, which has an antique rock vibe like the rest of the album.

The 13th track on the album, “Winners Game”, is my favourite because of the rhythmic contrast, which uses a syncopated rhythm throughout the instrumental sections. This demonstrates Lame Drivers’ ability to experiment with rhythmic intricacies outside of the rock genre.

The album contains a continuous flow of pieces that share stylistic elements. This sounds just like Lame Drivers, who are noted for their vintage rock sound.

This is a solid record for a band that has recently emerged from a musical dormancy. If the band can maintain the level, I believe fans can look forward to a much better record shortly.

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