SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LORD HURON – THE COSMIC SELECTOR VOL. 1

LORD HURON
THE COSMIC SELECTOR VOL. 1
MERCURY RECORDS

Ben Schneider often croons about being alone under vast night skies on The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1. Though these themes are undeniably similar to those explored throughout Lord Huron’s discography—from folk-rock symphonies on Strange Trails to the distorted, psychedelic-tinged fever dreams of Vide Noir—there’s a different kind of cohesion to this collection of varied tunes. Never too bashful to shy away from a concept, Schneider’s muse here is a mystical jukebox, the eponymous selector, which carries listeners through distinct realities with each song. The result is the band’s strongest work yet, and proves they’ve found the sonic sweet spot for their unique brand of existential dream rock.

Schneider and co-producer, Matthew Neighbour, showcase remarkable instincts on The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1, carrying the listener through emotional highs and lows, with jazzy ballads like “Is There Anybody Out There?”, “The Comedian”, and “It All Comes Back”, featuring soaring strings and horns to elevate Schneider’s spacey vocals. “Bag of Bones”, “Nothing I Need”, and “Watch Me Go” evoke the usual, desert-tinged, Western aesthetics of Lord Huron’s lore but feel less subdued than the tracks they iterate on, representing the culmination of 15 hard-working years in the biz. The same is true of “Fire Eternal” and “Used to Know”, which find Huron playing with newer melodies, yet still deliver the expected cinematic macabre with lines like “If I ever come back from the graveyard, tell me I remind you of someone you used to know.” Closer, “Life is Strange” blends everything that came before—distorted synths, harp plucks, rising violins, lap steel grooves, stuttering drum beats, and Schneider’s signature philosophical musings, as he promises his listener “I’ll stay forever right here if you want me to.”

Its runtime is so full of highlights that The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 gets away with the occasional odd choice, such as Kristen Stewart (yes, that one) eerily line-reading her way through the verses of “Who Laughs Last”. Within the context of the album, though, it feels minimally detrimental, as so many other creative instincts are on display.

The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 oozes with charisma, tying its distinct sounds together with the signature brand Lord Huron has established through five consecutive, strong efforts. The fact that Schneider & co. still manage to find new ways to heighten their music is damning evidence that Lord Huron is nowhere near ‘dead yet’.

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