How Can I Live Without A Body? – Sub Pop Records
Formed in Texas, the trio that is Loma has now spread out to Germany, Texas, and the UK. Their third album, How Can I Live Without a Body (out on Sub Pop,) was recorded in the UK in a small stone house that was once a coffin maker’s shop. That said, the moods and themes are far from gloomy. This album focuses on joyous expressionism riding the thin lines of art pop, dream pop, trip hop, and avant-garde jazz/alt-folk. The ambient tone is clearly defined by Emily Cross’s ethereal voice, with Dan Duszynski and Jonathan Meiburg handling the drumming, guitars, and synths.
Track 8, “Pink Sky,” is trip-hop that leans into the Portishead influence. The jazzy textures combine nicely with the cloudy vocals and atmospheric drumbeat. “Affinity,” track 10, I such a delight, layered vocals and an upbeat pacing with sax echoes throughout. The lyrics are introspective and warm. Track 5, “How It Starts,” shifts to synth folk – the music is hypnotic and anxious. It is haunting yet jumps out of the mire through the thumping rhythm. “Arrythmia,” track 2, is a driving and moody tune. The fast-paced rhythm at odds with the slow dreamy vocals.
Full of calming ambiance and vaporized synths, this album is a joy to listen to. Might be the best avant-garde indie album of the year!
Track listing –
1: Please, Come In
2: Arrhythmia
3: Unbraiding
4: I Swallowed A Stone
5: How It Starts
6: Dark Trio
7: A Steady Mind
8: Pink Sky
9: Broken Doorbell
10: Affinity
11: Turnaround
I liked these: 8**, 10**, 5**, 2**, and 1**.
– (h)earwitness