Previous albums by Toronto's Great Lake Swimmers have been, to my ears at least, pleasant but somewhat lacking in drive. Songs floated in and out, as light as a feather and sometimes barely there, they made early-Low sound like AC/DC. I guess they belong(ed) to this ambient-folk genre, inhabited by the likes of Iron and Wine, excellent for stroking beards to and occasionally liable to cause you to tap your foot (ever so gently) but not all that memorable.
With 'Lost Channels', GLS have changed direction slightly and moved more into folk-rock territory. Acoustic guitars are all over this record but rather than being gently picked, they weave some beautiful and catchy melodies. Singer Tony Dekker's voice sounds stronger and the band seem to have a new confidence. In particular 'Pulling On A Line' is so catchy and familiar that it could be a hit single, while 'She Comes To Me In Dreams' is poppy and a feel-good Summer song.
There are more melancholy pieces such as the mandolin-led 'Palmistry' and the heartfelt 'Everything Is Moving So Fast'. The record flows beautifully, no song outstays its welcome and the whole thing sounds, sorry to use this word, positively 'dreamy'. Fans of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes will find lots to love here.
8.4
['Lost Channels' is out now. GLS tour the UK in May]
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