La Need Machine’s sound is soft, emotive, and warm on their latest collection of sweet love songs on their studio album Pourquoi? C’est L’Amour!. An album that gently thrills, this is a listen that is very easy to fall for.
There’s an inconspicuous trace of early Arcade Fire to the music of this Seattle based art rock and pop outfit. Maybe in the group’s warmth and emotional immediacy more than any musical semblance, yet still, the strings-heavy, melodically potent group effort pieces of work on this album do pay a considerable nod to Arcade Fire’s fiery and deeply heartfelt beginnings.
La Need Machine is a trio composed of Al Dams’s lead guitars and the vocal duet of real life partners Brian Hassler and Elise Dahlberg, another parallel with Arcade Fire. The songs on Pourquoi? C’est L’Amour! are generally very melodic and sweet, with near consistent support from a tight strings ensemble. The grooves are lively and are basically easy to follow. Pourquoi? C’est L’Amour! is not al album set to break any grounds. Instead, it is at peace being a low flying cruise through nice sounds and pleasant atmospheres.
Among the album’s 10 songs, all quite frankly very fresh and concise, a few cuts truly stand out. As is customary, the album starts with one of its best offerings, introducing the band’s sound to new audiences with ’Our Love’. A joyous and softly colored cut, the starter introduces the band’s affection toward string arrangements that effortlessly fill the breeze, adding more texture than actual melodic stances. It also introduces the warmth of the vocal duet that graces the outfit’s lineup. ‘Over the Rainbow’ is a gorgeous cover that starts with a nuanced string arrangement that acts as the sole largest contributor to the instrumental backing to Elise’s vocal part. One of the album’s softest and most soothing listens.
Next highlight has got to be track 5 ‘Maria’. Quite efficiently balanced, this song features a stellar string arrangement that is quite impactful, one of the album’s liveliest vocal parts, a grandiose acoustic rhythm part that plays the song’s immediately familiar and sweet chord progressions. ‘These Old Jeans’ feature a quite strong forward momentum with its well paced groove. The interplay between the acoustic guitar arpeggios, the nasal quality of the main vocal part, and the more prominent wailing strings make for a song that’s vintage and exceptionally warm with a distinctive, lo-fi flair.
The penultimate ’Hometown Heroes’ start with a fantastic piano-led part that’s jubilant, playful, and elegant. The sound then explodes into a steady beat that builds one of the album’s strongest grooves. The mixolydian leanings in the chords make for the song that’s vintage can most be described as rock on the album. A soft, upbeat, and graceful color of artful and vividly colored rock that is.
Pourquoi? C’est L’Amour! is a refreshing listen from start to finish. A truly well crafted set of tunes, mixed to their best potential by producer Bear Davis, this collection of tunes showcase what Elise Dahlberg is a strong proponent for, that life with autism and creativity under its effect is a lot different than what is publicly perceived. A rewarding listen that is quite soothing and equally exciting.
