LE LOUP
Family
The second album by Washington, D.C. septet Le Loup is a far more organic, natural sounding record, than 2007’s synth-heavy album. Family is arguably just as hypnotic and vast as its predecessor, but fills its space with grandiose arrangements and psychedelic pop rather than electronic punctuation. It’s a sound that can be easily likened to Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, and Sufjan Stevens all at once. Yet the band manages to blend these influences into a cohesive whole so effortlessly that they end up carving out a niche that is distinctly their own. The Animal Collective influence will be most apparent to listeners, as many of the tracks hold the same temperamental weirdness that Avey Tare and co. made famous. “Beach Town,” one of the strongest numbers on Family, starts with an infectious bass grove, quickly overlaying a clattering of percussion in a droning haze. By the time the guitars are introduced, more than halfway through the track, the band has already hit a soaring stride. It’s in these moments that Le Loup shows immense strength as a songwriting collective, and they do so again and again throughout the album’s run. The carefully crafted, diverse, and interlocking sounds painted by the numerous band members come together naturally, much like a family ought to. (Hardly Art, www.hardlyart.com) Kevan Hannah
Winnipeg music & culture since 1989