SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE LUSTRE – THE LUSTRE

THE LUSTRE
THE LUSTRE
INDEPENDENT

Everyone loves a feel-good story, and the history of The Lustre is a great feel-good story of friends, music fans and a bunch of guys who got together to play music. The six-member band started with two friends, Bennett Birchard and Michael Payne, two friends who happen to be guitarists and songwriters got together to see what happens. David Finkelstein, who happened to be a lead guitarist, joined the duo and before long keyboardist Jamie Lamb, bassist Dan MacKay and drummer Frank Cipolla came into the fold and The Lustre was born. And they have released their debut album.

The good news is that the album is very good, with strong hook-filled songs.  This is a tight band with very talented players. There are a number of writers in the band, which in some bands may be a problem, here it is a plus. Each of the members come to the band with different influences, sounds, and ideas. This allows the Toronto-based band the opportunity to dabble in different genres, which results in an album full of different sounds and music. The vibe of the album is 1990s indie/rock/alternative in the vein of Foo Fighters or even the ‘pop’ side of The Smashing Pumpkins.

The album opens with “Better To Have It”, with a dramatic moody opening, a straight-ahead love song that allows the rhythm section to show off a little. Later a song like “VHS” really taps into late 1980s and early 1990s but given the title and subject matter (VHS), it makes total sense. Perhaps The Lustre are hoping for a VHS revival. It is an interesting song with a great retro feel to it. Midway through the album, the band rocks a bit harder (“Where Do We Go”) which shows what happens when the band sounds like they are jamming. It is a standout track, and one can’t help but wish there were more like this on the album.

The album closes with the piano-based song “Missing Hearts”. It is a great way to end the album. The sparse arrangement allows the song to have a much stronger impact on the listener. It is a subtle, reflective song that shows a very different side to the band. While the song that precedes it, “Time That’s Left”, is a gritty, bluesy song that, again, benefits from an arrangement that leaves a great deal of space throughout the song.

The Lustre is a strong debut album. It shows the band in many lights and makes for enjoyable listening. It is a perfect soundtrack for the summer, and it is easy to imagine blasting the album on road trips. The Lustre is not shy with showing their influences, but that does not mean the album is derivative. It isn’t, but rather they have developed their own style and sound. The album does tap into standard rock stylings, but again, this is not a criticism. It has a classic rock feel while sounding fresh and current.

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