Lush – Snail MailĬhapter one is “ Pristine“, the high energy, sunny start to a love affair, Jordan’s unapologetically honest lyrics criticising party culture and declaring her endless love give this song an overwhelming sentimentality and honesty. It’s the introductory credit sequence to Jordan’s coming of age romantic movie, showing us snapshots of the places she will take us to while telling her story, hinting at where it will end, and presenting us with our main character’s voice. “ Intro” is the perfect encapsulation of the journey the album takes you in, trapped in a little over a hazy minute. She’s the perfectly imperfect leading lady for this story. She loves selflessly and unapologetically, but is also not one to hold her tongue or avoid conflict. She navigates her emotions with an uncharacteristic boldness, diving headfirst into love and giving in to the deepest of feelings. Lindsey Jordan, the woman behind Snail Mail, is a warm, complex protagonist. If Snail Mail’s debut effort Lush (released via Matador Records) was a movie, it would mix the intimacy and vibrant youth of John Hughes’ suburban stories with the darker undertones and inevitable disappointment of indie romances like Like Crazy. Lush is an impressive first step for Snail Mail, and no matter where the band goes from here it’s an album that listeners will no doubt return to for a long time to come.The story of young love can be told one thousand times, but few artists are capable of transcending this narrative and creating something truly meaningful and unforgettable – Lindsey Jordan of Snail Mail can, and with Lush, she did. Each track tells its own story, each of which is a part of the larger whole both lyrically and musically. But after these songs start to sink in, it becomes apparent that Snail Mail combine standard rock elements in surprising and affecting ways. Lush may not sound all that unique on first listen, and in some ways it isn’t there’s nothing groundbreaking here in terms of pushing indie rock where it hasn’t been before. Jordan also makes many of the lyrics more engaging by phrasing them as one side of an ongoing conversation, as on early highlight “Pristine,” where she sings “It just feels like / The same party every weekend / Doesn’t it? Doesn’t it? / And if you do find someone better / I’ll still see you in everything.” These sorts of lines hint at larger stories and draw listeners into Jordan’s perspective, and the intimate nature of the lyrics is perfectly complemented by the subtle complexity of the songwriting and production. These songs do deal with subjects that the typical listener can relate to-relationships, identity, starting over-but they’re never trite. The lyrics are also far from standard singer-songwriter fare. The record has more in common with sleepy dream pop than it does with acoustic troubadours.
With such a minimalist approach, it might be easy to assume that Lush is a singer-songwriter or folk-rock album, but that isn’t really the case Jordan uses some complex chord changes and song structures that make her songs interesting without being overly complex, and the prominence of the electric guitar means that her songs always have interesting textures that go beyond folk arrangements. Snail Mail’s sound is fairly easy to describe-Jordan’s clear, laid back vocals float over warm electric guitar tones, often joined by a rhythm section but frequently just stripped back to voice and guitar. Which isn’t to say that Lush, the first album by Lindsay Jordan’s recording project Snail Mail, is simplistic, sparse, or stripped back it’s just direct, and doesn’t have much in the way of fluff.
So it’s refreshing when an artist comes along who takes a simple approach to their work, taking care with the songs themselves rather than production gimmicks or contextual hype (hey there Kanye). Fire Note Says: Snail Mail’s impressive debut matches strong songwriting chops with impeccably layered arrangementsĪlbum Review: As a quick glance at any news channel or app will attest, we’re living in interesting, complicated times here in the middle of 2018.
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