Lord Huron

Lord Huron began as a solo project by Michigan-born/Los Angeles-based musician Ben Schneider in the spring of 2010. On a trip home to Michigan, Schneider recorded three songs inspired by communing with nature. These songs were later released as the Into the Sun EP, and Lord Huron was born. The songs quickly gained recognition and a live band was assembled to flesh out the songs in a live setting. Lord Huron began performing as a band in August of 2010 and quickly began touring, developing their live show as they went. In November of 2010 a second EP, entitled Mighty, was released, and coupled with a video for the standout track "The Stranger."

 The year 2011 was full of touring, with appearances at larger festivals like South by Southwest, Outside Lands, and Lollapalooza. At this point Schneider solidified his band lineup with childhood friends Mark Barry on drums, Brett Farkas on guitar, Miguel Briseno on bass, and Tom Renaud on guitar. In January of 2012, Lord Huron signed with independent label IAMSOUND Records and began work on their indie folk debut full-length, Lonesome Dreams, which was released later that year and led to an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. After extensive touring, a second album, the Western-themed Strange Trails, was recorded in 2014 at Whispering Pines Studios in Los Angeles. It was released in early 2015 and hit the Top 25 in the U.S. and Canada.

On their follow-up, Strange Trails, Lord Huron settle into the Western themes and sense of open prairies that marked the band's debut, Lonesome Dreams. Frontman/songwriter Ben Schneider fully embraces the American West/Troubadour character, illustrated even in song titles like "Dead Man's Hand," "Meet Me in the Woods," and "The Yawning Grave." The album's lyrics tell haunted stories of adventure and survival ("On the night you disappeared/Oh, if I had seen it clear/But a strange light in the sky was shining right into my eyes"), with nature imagery ("In a grave out here where the carrions cry"), and the occasional old-time turn of phrase ("Before I commence my ride/I'm asking Lily to be my bride"). With warm electric guitar sounds, soft and constant reverb, harmonized vocals, and a faint but persistent twang, it's a contemporary, specifically Fleet Foxes-reminiscent, indie folk-influenced rock haunted by allusions to the Old West. Listeners may envision fringe and spurs without any overt country presence (though there's certainly a subtle one) outside of lilting vocals, such as on "Way Out There."

 The band still focuses more on atmosphere and haunting, harmonic sound and rhythm than on progressions or memorable hooks, but the landscapes that they create are consistent and sound-defining, and there's no shortage of eerie beauty in the melodies. "The Night We Met," in particular, has a lullaby quality to its wistful, singsong melody ("I don't know what I’m supposed to do/Haunted by the ghost of you"). The record takes a few interesting musical routes on its journey: the reverbed rockabilly and surf sounds of "The World Ender," the campfire-gathering feel of "Meet Me in the Woods" with handclaps and female vocal harmonies, and the pulsing, ramblin' road tune "Frozen Pines" all contribute to an impression of timelessness as well as a certain folksiness befitting the album's well-established rural themes. There are no big surprises here; fans of Lonesome Dreams will surely be pleased, and Strange Trails' serene ambience and unconventional narrative may capture the imagination of inclined first-timers.