Celebrating the power of online collaboration, Jesse Rivkin and Casey Danielson make up Lake Nights – along with instrumentals, vocals, synths, drums and artwork from the many corners of the globe.
For the ELEMENTALS EP, the collective lead with pop-rock sensibilities and accessible story-lines. There’s intrigue and personal emotion combined, alongside an organic set-up and relatable vocal tone that immediately present a sense of unity and warmth.
All of this is Greenwoods, and the warmth and melodic embrace continue throughout. Heart In You follows on as a beautiful anthem, a little faster paced but uplifting and genuine all the same.
Oh Summer is an easy highlight, a nostalgic riff and soundscape pour through with a certain yesteryear comfort to instantly deliver a state of calm, of pleasant memories. The lyrics fit in well with this, setting the scene detail by detail, the mood and the words all working in unison to take you there.
With Blooming Bones we get a little more of an indie rock edge, spacious and characterful, stylish – short lines, poetic and cool. Another highlight but for a completely different reason – addictive little bars of melody and concept, amidst a hypnotic soft-rock ambiance.
These touches of poetry are a crucial building block of this project, its original title being Wind, Earth, Bone, Fire, Sand, Snow and Stone, with layers of relevant imagery and reference to the four seasons interwoven within.
A heartfelt and emotive Maze Of Shadows furthers the band’s intriguing lyrical substance, and the mellow groove and raspy delivery of the whole thing help elevate the project all the more so. We also note increasing threads between tracks – a quality that makes the Elementals EP one worth experiencing in full and indeed revisiting time and time again.
Wrapping things up is a cinematic and full-sounding Keep You Alive. Strong riffs and mighty doubled vocals combine amidst an infectious rhythm and provocative lyrics that beg for you to learn them straight away. An addictive, engaging track, which soon evolves from good to great as it slowly but surely weaves a web of blissful entanglement around you.
Gorgeously crafted, in short – a collection that feels like a timeless album of classics. Beautifully written, performed and recorded. A pleasure to turn up loud and lose yourself within.
