The Lonely H
Hair
The Control Group/In Music We Trust
The Lonely H looks like a gang of redneck rebels searching for some trouble (or something to shoot as every promo picture has each member brandishing everything from a rifle to a pistol). I was convinced when I received their second album Hair that their music would be a trashier version of Credence Clearwater Revival. I was stunned to hear something more melodic and less redneck than the pictures would suggest.
The opener “Just Don’t Know” is like a garage rock “Champagne Supernova.” With the soaring verses and loud chorus, soft bridge, loud guitar solo dynamic that Oasis used to make that song so magical, The Lonely H uses it to make “Just Don’t Know” just as beautiful.
Some of the most unexpected surprises are the harmonies that the band uses throughout the album, especially on the acoustic and falsetto-laden “Rollin’.” Vocalist Mark Fredson explores his upper-octave, but doesn’t sound like a freshly-graduated-from-high-school teenager, which all five bandmates are. Fredon’s vocals are very controlled and mature throughout the album, making The Lonely H sound much more seasoned than they already are.
“The Drought,” a brilliant Who-like eight-minute opus, focuses the band on their musicality, mostly the piano, harmonies and heavy classic rock-esque guitar solos.
Hair was certainly a pleasant surprise. I was expecting trashy garage rock and what I received was coherent garage rock that channels the classics like Zeppelin and even early R.E.M. These five guys, fresh out of high school, sound more like they’ve been performing for decades, not a couple of years. If things get better with age, The Lonely H will be dominating the world by the time they are 30.
The Lonely H: http://www.thelonelyh.com
