The Lionelle
Shipwreck
Sound vs. Silence
Street: 07.13
The Lionelle = mewithoutYou + White Octave + Jaguar Love
Musically, The Lionelle could easily exist as a simple vehicle for Tate Law’s strange but drop-dead affecting voice. Law’s vocals, if you haven’t heard them, sound like a mix between a collapsed-lung Tim Kasher and an emotionally attached Johnny Whitney. Very few even reach for the level of Law’s vocal gesticulations. The Lionelle as a band, however, obtain a breadth and clime that is overwhelmingly huge. Shipwreck, at its most distilled, is full of fist-pumping post-hardcore choruses, start-stop mathy time signature change-ups, and elegant midtempo numbers. Augmenting all this are moments of unexpected beauty. Banjoes, flutes and an otherworldly guitar skronk make Shipwreck one of the most musically satisfying and emotionally devastating albums of the year. Following a hellish car accident that Law went through, Shipwreck is a comeback album of sorts: triumphant, shimmering and pissed. The Lionelle, you’re doing it right.