I drove around one Sunday afternoon while listening to Imagine Our Love, Lavender Diamond’s debut full length for Matador Records. I figured a Sunday afternoon might’ve been the best time to listen to them. It was a sunny and calm early afternoon with Lavender Diamond acting as the soundtrack for the trip. Earlier this year, they released an E.P., The Cavalry of Light shortly after a well received stint opening for the Decemberists in Europe over the winter. The four songs were absolutely stunning, yet it seemed like the rest of the world had a lot of catching up to do, which is where Imagine Our Love comes in. I question those who aren’t at least dazzled by a second of it. It boggles my mind that even having a high profile opening slot with a band like the Decemberists and being featured as “Myspace Band of the Week,” you’d think the citizens of the candy-store indie rock world would be trampling each other to get a grip on this, but I still have yet to see their name plastered on messenger bags and pins.

As I continued to drive around, it struck me. Lavender Diamond are the guilt free alternative to just about every cheesy thing you might have cried to such as the moments you spent crying over some dead animal in a Disney film or singing along cracked-vocal style to the Carpenters on the radio. It’s a soundtrack to being able to mope around for a bit with a glimmer of hope that shines pretty damn bright.

I’ve seen Lavender Diamond grouped into the same class as all these bands who are associated with “freak/psych-folk” or “New Weird Americana,” and if you ask me, that’s a bloody travesty. There are no annoying misplaced noisy lo-fi gimmicks over junkie-strummed acoustic guitars. Sure, the first impression might entail that they might come across as indie rock eccentrics who come to your local record store digging through the 45 sections for folk and early 1970s easy listening. Their sound recalls the pre-classic rock era with post-hippie fallout where things didn’t get so glamorous and overblown. Personally, I’m not a big fan of the whole 1970s lite AM radio folk-pop revival, and while Lavender Diamond happens to use some of those elements, they tend to do so in a way that makes them sound less generic than many acts doing a similar style. Sometimes, they come across as a reconfigured Camera Obscura for the Grand Ole Opry crowd, evident in the bouncy “My Shadow is a Monday.” Sunday morning piano is prominent in many tracks, especially in the intro to “Dance Until Tomorrow,” which gives you a calm feeling that you’re walking into a church of a different kind of worship. A beat that would fit at home during hand clap unison arena rock anthems has its essence captured and translated through a broken-hearted folk-rock song in the opener, “Oh No.” “When will I love again?,” is the question raised by vocalist, Becky Stark, who expresses it in a way that even married couples would begin to scratch their heads at their own long term romance. She sings in such a genuinely beautiful and haunting way that I’d probably shed a tear if she sang with a cold due because it’d still sound endearing and honest. Her range is rather versatile and it’s great to hear Becky give a ghostly quality to a repetitive, yet nonetheless engaging composition in the semi-psychedelic/tribal vibe that surrounds, “Like An Arrow.”

I must point out that as much as the music speaks for the band itself, there is a huge visual side to Lavender Diamond. The artwork is rather vibrant and supplied by the drummer, Ron Rege Jr., who happens to be a talented cartoonist. Within the layout, all of the lyrics are accompanied by an drawn interpretation, a illustrated representation of the song, if you will. Also, “Open You Heart,” one of the more playful sounding tracks on the record, was released as a single and the video for it features Becky roller skating down the road accompanied by a bunch of folks who look like they just got out of the 80s nite dayglo dance party. Believe me, it’s cute.

There’s so much about this record that has to be seen and heard in order to appreciate it. The last song on the album closes with another question, “When you wake for certain, will you still be hurting?” I have no proper way of answering that for myself other than waking up and knowing that it’s pretty refreshing and inviting to hear the sounds of Imagine Our Love come out of the speakers at any waking hour. It gives hope.

Lavender Diamond - Open Your Heart

This entry was posted on Monday, June 11th, 2007 at 12:33 pm and is filed under CD/LP. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.