Music history has a long line of husband and wife duos: Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, The Weepies Deb Talan and Steven Tannen, Johnny and June Cash, maybe Jack and Meg White? Here is a new couple for the list: Daniel and Lauren Goans, the married members of Lowland Hum. Like all great music industry love stories, the two met while working on their own solo projects, got hitched, and started a band. Native Air is their first album together. It was brought to fruition with the help of a Kickstarter campaign and Rick Parker, who mixed Lord Huron’s most recent album.
Their folky, ethereal music is created with minimal instrumentation. It’s mostly a guitar and a tambourine paired with their powerful vocal harmonies. Muted drums, the occasional stringed instrument, or a synth round out the album.
The musical minimalism leaves room for their rich, poetic lyrics. Native Air is laden with symbolism and pastoral metaphors that evoke Robert Frost and William Wordsworth more than any current musical artists.
No song encapsulates this better than the nearly six-minute “Albatross.” The high and lows that accompany hope and disillusionment are explored lyrically, and the music reflects the dichotomy. For those who aren’t aware or don’t want to Google search it, an albatross has the largest wingspan of any bird still alive (up to twelve feet) and is admired for its grace and efficiency in the air. In his poem “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” Samuel Taylor Coleridge established the albatross as a symbol of nature and good fortune. Lowland Hum’s portrayal of the albatross is perhaps a story of themselves, rising above negativity and hopelessness. This is a theme on the album and prevalent on songs like “War Is Over” and “Linens.”
The whole album is as lyrically dense as “Albatross,” aside from the sweet song “Twine” about a retreat to their cabin in woods (which very well may be an elusive metaphor for achieving marital bliss). If you’re feeling like it’s all a little too much to unpack, let Lowland Hum’s videos be your guide.
Aside from making beautiful albeit complicated music, the Goanses are multisensory artists who personally craft cool videos featuring their lyrics. They’ve made these videos for an alternate version of “Albatross” (released on The Wall Street Journal’s Speakeasy blog) and for the compelling song, “War Is Over” (released on NPR’s First Watch). Their songs are easier to understand in the context of video and when the lyrics can be easily read. All of their lyrics are also available on their Bandcamp page.
Lauren Goans told WSJ’s Speakeasy that, “[Lowland Hum] prefers to provide our listeners with access to our lyrics whenever possible, whether that be on the Internet or at our live performances…we hoped to offer the viewer something beautiful, a companion of sorts, to guide them through the song.”
The band also provides a multi-sensory experience at shows, creating backdrop art installations, handmade lyrics booklets, and even offering bread from local bakeries! Their music, of course, offers nourishment of its own. Hopefully one of these promising shows is coming your way.
Caroline McDonald
After dabbling in many parts of the music industry—recording studios, PR, management, labels, publishing—I’m expanding into music journalism because I’m yet to find anything more rewarding that finding and sharing new music.
A longtime sucker for girls with guitars, my musical taste unabashedly follows the songwriting lineage of Dolly Parton and includes Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, and Neko Case. But not to pigeonhole myself, my music love is big love that stretches from R.L. Burnside to Animal Collective to Lord Huron.
I’ve recently moved home to Nashville after living in Boston and Big Sur for several years. I’d forgotten how music pours onto the streets ten hours a day, seven days a week. I’m honored to share the creative explosion happening here. If your band is in the area or of the area, please reach out!
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- Interview – Roadkill Ghost Choir - July 11, 2014
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