Wednesday, May 16, 2012

EP Appreciation: LP-Into the Wild (Live) (2012)

Within the opening seconds this 5 song live recording emits a sense of urgency, both through the instrumentation and especially through LP’s voice.  She shifts between garage rocker to poppy sweetness within notes and her wordless yelps carry as much emotion as any meaningful word could.  She goes big, giving her voice as much expanse as it wants, and there is simply no limit to the manners in which she manipulates her voice.

Her quivering, breathless voice portrays a pain that invites uncontrollable shivers to run through me, as the pain in her voice is reflected back internally.  It teasingly suggests a vulnerability that is quickly diminished after a fierce strength enter, as the drums kick in and the piano chords are rapidly struck. A catchy whistle melody carries the tune at various points before ceding to an explosion of sound or back to LP’s husky, Nicole Atkins like voice. This is all gleaned from Track 1, “Into The Wild”, a song that asks “Somebody left the gate open, Are we not lost on the way, hard to say, god save us a runaway train how do we how do we how do we not fade away into the wild?” in a grand moment.

A driving beat through each song churns through each song on this 5 track Live EP. “Leviator” informs a person how much they levitates her, a charming and intense love song delivered with bombast.  When her voice trills out “Woooo, I give it all to you, see the way you love me love me baby, you lift me up and take me take me safely,” as a listener I feel wrapped up warmly in her words. 

Overall a fantastic ep, a prelude to her forthcoming album which will include tracks like “Tokyo Sunrise” a track that features synths and percussion so arranged as to resemble oriental sounds.  LP does a fantastic job of convincing the listener to change global perceptions, by her forceful performance that emulates an Oriental soundtrack.  Each track showcases her voice and writing talents, both of which have been recognized by major labels as she has songwriting or feat credits on a number of hits. A thoroughly engaging listen and an album I am eagerly awaiting.

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