Lórien rocked into lead as headlining Cassette fell short
Photo courtesy of Chris Hilton
Band members of the up-and-coming Nashville-based indie band Lórien bring energy and cheerful lyrics to the music scene.
By Sam Lawrence
Contributing Writer
If you were at a frat party last Friday night, you were at the wrong place. You should have been at Under The Couch for the Cassette and Lórien show.
Lórien was a stunning opening act for the headliner Cassette.
The band hails from Nashville, but they truly embody what an indie band should sound like. They range from gentle melodies driven by keyboardist Cara's classical piano work to soaring, at times almost epic tunes, that haunt of the post-rock giant, MUSE. In 2006, Lórien performed along side mewithoutyou, Copeland, and Anberlin, but there's something to this energetic group that defies comparison to even names like those.
They all are truly talented, and work together as a tight-knit unit, such that the energy and attention is enjoyed by all, rather than just directed at the lead guitar/vocals, as in many groups.
And energy! There wasn't a person in the house that wasn't toe-tapping away to drummer Thomas' aggressive beats or humming along with the strains of lead singer Kaleb's high but balanced vocals.
Their music is cheerful and bright but also intensely professional. There are no wasted breaths, and no repetitive hooks to their sound. Every note sounds intentional and pure.
Lórien is a band to keep your eye on, for sure. They are almost certainly headed for recognition, and probably soon, but until then consider yourself an insider on one of the best bands floating around in the indie rock scene.
I know, everyone only heard about Cassette, the headlining band, but honestly they weren't that great.
Maybe if you were into nerd-indie, borderline trance sort of stuff, then you might be interested. On their MySpace page, Cassette calls themselves progressive (read: untalented), but their best moments are their most traditional. It's when they get experimental that they start to mess things up with the possible exception of "Canard Digeratur," a mash of a somewhat catchy hook paired with completely irrational keyboard work. It's amusing to listen to at best.
End sum, Lórien was brilliant, but Cassette was a miss.
