Musical Thesis: “Vide Noir” by Lord Huron
At the center of every album is a musical thesis. This thesis can be the driving force behind the album, a theme that interweaves songs together, or a feeling you are left with after the last song plays. With some albums, the thesis is easy to find. On others, it is hidden and requires you to be more than a passive listener. These reviews are not about rating an album. Instead, it is about uncovering a musical thesis.
Gone are the days of laughter and love
Gone, baby, gone, we've all had enough
Carry on and spend all your dough
Take it down to the ground and sink me below
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, a resurgence of folk music burst onto the stage. Led by bands like Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, and The Avett Brothers, music repackaged and reminiscent of Dylan, Guthrie, and Pete Seeger, dominated pop radio and the charts. Everywhere you looked, were unwashed masses in suspenders carrying banjos, singing thought-provoking lyrics.
Then, as soon as it began, like Dylan going electric, the entire movement started stringing electric guitars and writing moody lyrics. Not everyone survived this transition, and even fewer bands did it well. For me, an exception has always been Lord Huron.
What began on their albums Lonesome Dreams and Strange Trails effortlessly morphed into something edgier on Vide Noir. But how? How did Lord Huron pull this feat off when so many other bands failed?
For me, Vide Noir feels transitional, like a slow evolution from one point to another. The shift in time feels gradual. It doesn’t come all at once. Another helpful feature? All Lord Huron albums feel conceptual to me. Each features a complete thesis and concept. Each appears, to my ears, to tell a complete story, from the opening song to the album’s closer. In this album, this transition gives birth to a dreamy rock album that unpacks life with questions with weight, but balance. This sort of focus isn’t something that is easy to pull off, but this band has managed to do it album after album.
And here we are some 15+ years after the boom, and only a few bands remain standing. I think those who remain, and continue to produce high quality work, have managed to hold onto those original fans while expanding the tent to include a broader crowd. Again, another balancing act that isn’t easy to do, but Lord Huron has managed it better than most.
Of all those still standing, they have created a follower in me who cannot wait to see what they do next. They continue to intrigue me and keep me curious. In today’s musical landscape, that is more than enough.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
As a member of the factory, you are taking a stand for human powered creation.
