Lullabye Arkestra
Threats/Worship
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Label: Vice Records
The opening track of Lullabye Arkestra’s Threats/Worship says a lot about both the album and the band itself – namely, it’s going to be a loud ride. The married couple that makes up Lullabye Arkestra doesn’t sound particularly keen on any music remotely mellow, so it’s fitting that “Get Nervous” takes one of the album’s noisiest riffs, with solo male vocals making for a dirty one-off package. Threats/Worship is made up of a series of similarly quick and forceful tracks, drawing inspiration from punk’s volatile delivery and garage rock’s substance-before-style mantra. So get ready; this might be the nosiest record you hear all year. Fortunately, Lullabye Arkestra channels its boundless enthusiasm into a fitting substitute for production gloss and skillful delivery – these are songs to love for their imperfections, for their ability to keep sweaty bodies flying this way and that and to generally kick ass. Assuming that’s what you’re in the mood for.
To describe Lullabye Arkestra’s sound accurately, heavy-handed White Stripes comparisons are inevitable. The marital vows are there – minus the elaborate hype-hooking conspiracy about what their real relationship is – as well as the smoky-garage sound, in this case via Toronto. But the delicate soul undercurrents that shift underneath each song’s hardcore exterior and the extreme grit of that edgier first impression makes Lullabye Arkestra a different kind of band; they’re arguably less talented than Jack and Meg, but more likely, harder to appreciate. Katia Taylor’s shrieks and curdling screams can turn on a dime to something much more honey-dripping and soothing, often recalling Karen-O’s balance between sweetness and sonic battery.
So really, the Dead Weather is a better comparison, but this is cleverly nuanced hardcore versus hard-edged blues. And drummer Justin Small clearly isn’t Jack White.
Because so much of Threats/Worship is just downright fun – and shockingly refreshing in a year of Grizzly Bears and Decemberists – it’s worth getting right to what will keep this album from ever achieving widespread success. First, for every track that rocks so unbelievably hard – like all that wonderful distress on the perfect pair of well-worn jeans – there’s one that merely tarnishes the whole, more like an ugly rust-stain. The deserving single “We Fuck the Night” starts with nervous feedback and kicks into the beat with a torrential storm of grinding power chords in rapid-fire succession. Taylor’s gravelly scream cuts into the melody like a jagged saw, pushing the song along powerfully only to kick its tempo into a trudging blues riff with rolling guitar and cymbal clashes that sound like gunfire. It’s a perfect storm. And structurally it’s so dynamic that the song can’t ever turn into a stale listen. On the other hand, there’s “Telepathic President;” the riffs still drive violently, but that’s really all the song has going for it. The song’s similar breakdown at the 1:35 mark feels clumsy and out of place, especially seeing as it’s only a brief two minutes. More importantly, its utterly confusing attempt at political statement is just hard to hear – let alone comprehend if you do manage to decipher the words – and unnecessary when compared to the poignancy of the last two Thermals albums. Maybe it’s just me, but Lullabye Arkestra is damn enjoyable when they’re violating the night in mosh-friendly fury, but less so when I have to actually pull something meaningful out of their spit-and-blither lyrics.
Fortunately, much of Threats/Worship avoids the soapbox and heads right for the pit. The Title of the Year contestant “Euroshima” is pounding and relentless, yet manages to weave a sashaying tonal rhythm in between the cymbal clashes and power chords; this is rock at its nastiest and quickest with plenty of payoff to a discerning ear. Past criticism of Lullabye Arkestra suggests its music is a hybrid of Motown and abrasive rock, but it’s more accurate to say this is fundamentally guitar and drums gunslinging with a soul fan’s ear as the cornerstone of each track. And Taylor’s thumping bass really brings stunning contrast and feeling to Threats/Worship, acting as the gravity to balance her voice’s glass-shattering levity.
This becomes most apparent during the album’s last two songs. “Floating Graveyards” is a lumbering bass-driven piece that acts as a swooning decrescendo after nine tracks worth of unbridled intensity. And that slow breakdown gives way to – seriously – a bluesy country-styled ballad. Any other band might not be able to pull this off, but for Lullabye Arkestra, the more deliberate emotions and styles linger under the surface and just need somewhere to break through. “Sad Sad Story” is that release. This is a band that loves straightforward rock ‘n’ roll, but all the frenetic, head-thrashing rock in the world couldn’t completely pull them away from the more sensitive musical movements they successfully use as inspiration.
by Michael Merline
