[Plugs!] “With the Sheep” ~ An album in retrospect

Preface

Back in 2000, I joined my first band, The Luinissinfes.  I know what you just did, try to pronounce it right?  That’s why we stuck with it.  It was just as unique as we felt we were.  We purposely went against every grain we saw in the local and mainstream musical battlefield.

Since 2008, we have been on a hiatus due to our desires to follow our individual paths; both musically and personally.  We all still talk about writing another album, though, it is likely it won’t be anything serious.  We never are serious.  Thats what I loved about The Luinissinfes.

Read on for my personal review of our last release, “With the Sheep.”

Luinissinfes
With the Sheep: An album in retrospect

When I first received the finished “With the Sheep” release, I was extremely proud of the packaging.  It was extremely crisp.  The artwork was inviting and gave you a slight preface of what to expect when you listen to it.  Or does it…

The opener, not listed on the track-list found on the rear of the CD book, is another whimsical moment much like ” * ” from FBI one & two.  It is simply a goof on the main riff of the real first song called “Long Lost Brother.”

“Long Lost Brother” opens with an actual tuned guitar in a blur of arabic notes, gently weaving you into a vastly different sound than heard on previous Luinissinfes albums.  The soothing verse breaks periodically into stressed variations on the arabic theme found through out the song.  Another immediate change in instrumentation, is the focus on clean melodic vocals, delivering catchy – almost uplifting – lyrics.  The chorus’ thick harmonies branch out into augmented moments finally resolving themselves back on traditional roots.  The sound scape is suddenly changed after the second chorus with earth shaking force, raining down a full fledged Arabic jam.  This breakdown alone features more foreign instruments typically not found in Luinissinfes’ prior works than any other song on the CD.  Deep inside this section, you hear de-tuned drums and djembes beating tribal sequences while ghostly voices layer the scene.  Giant gong like china cymbals wash over the listener while a solo bass leads the way into the final chorus.  The lyrics express frustrations of an angry sibling loosing the fight to save his brother from the city life.  The heart aches caused by feeling mute, come to a close with a simple sigh, as if saying, “I’m at my end.”

“Uncertainty” creeps in with a haunting low synth, establishing the foundation along with a lone acoustic guitar and electronic drum loop.  This isn’t the first time Luinissinfes has utilized this type of instrumentation.  Prior works like “Deny” off of FBI 1, and “What Hurts the Most” from The Sound of Depression emanate from this track.  A guitar solo emerges from the depths off the tail end of a classic one line-er, typical of the Hickey lyrics.  The song ends as each instrument drops out one by one leaving the drum loop to close the deal.

“Devoid of…” starts just like the ending of its proceeding track… each instrument enters one by one.  This is one of the many low level tricks and easter eggs that can be found on this CD, its just up to the listener to find them if they want to.  Ripe lyrics shoot from the heart describing the need to escape from the stress easily found in all of us.  Bubbling in the distance is a modular synth almost mirroring the boiling over of a life gone wrong.  Right before you think the song is about to resolve, the rug is pulled out from under you and leaves the listener on edge.

“Sunset Over the Isle of Wight”
As the trails of reverb fade, the listener is gently brought back down with chords of despair and sadness ringing out from a single guitar.  Then suddenly, as if a melodic paint brush, a flute slowly makes its entrance.  Delicately dancing amongst tribal drums and finger cymbals, the flute paints the scene of a sun falling to Earth, retreating from its blue counterpart.  Just as the sun fades, the flute follows suit, retreating before the night arrives.  The ringing of a cymbal lingers on…

“With the Sheep”
The albums title track opens with static, as if something is broken and in need of mending.  The songs hook is presented eerily in the distance, preluding the songs tension, broken spastically by sharp and cutting acoustic guitar stabs.  Capitalizing on these moments, the songs verse enter on a deceiving upbeat melody, contrary to the lyrics content of a friendship torn asunder.  In the chorus, the singer questions the intent of the friend, and shocked by their actions, feels left alone “with the sheep” in a field of shit.  The lyrics are so subtle in their delivery coupled with the melodic deception.  The loneliness is perfectly captured with distant distorted drums and delicate piano, while moving through spooky guitar synth work.  Just as one would replay an argument in their heads, over and over again, becoming more agitated, the music suddenly thrusts you into the middle of the struggle between the tattered friendship.  Lashing out just as fist, the vocals are percussive and syncopated with the drums, exploding into the songs sped up chorus.  The conflicting feelings are well depicted in one of the first vocal counter points ever used by Luinissinfes.  The listener is left hanging on to the sour notes that dangle from the guitars efforts earlier, lifeless and used.

The scene is again shaped for us by the oceans waves in the beginning of “Leah.”  This was originally released on FBI one, however, this time the songs feels almost completely re-written.  The instrumentation has not changed, the whole song is reminiscent of a dry memory covered in dust.  In the distance harmony vocals ring out, lending a more folk sound and loosening the vocals from the guitars.  The songs mid section is still the highlight here.  A string section solo builds its way into the foreground of an up tempo variation on the songs verse melody.  Like a warm blanket covering you from the beaches winds, soothing vocals swarm all around while thoughts of a brief love encounter are remembered.  And in a crescendo, they are gone, just as grains of sand are washed away with the tide.

“… Me” flows into our sound scape where origins left off.  The tracks bouncy feel is created by drum loops and acoustic drums over modulated synths and guitars.  The melody is so familiar, its hard to miss the connection to “Devoid of…” The songs ending is abrupt and quick.  Silence.

Enter stage left.  ”Distraught” almost sounds like an artist and his instrument, in a dark dingy bar on a stool with only room light to illuminate the faces in the crowd.  This has to be the best song Luinissinfes has ever wrote.  The melody is catchy, the mood is light but sentimental.  Its like a window into how the band actually feels when just hanging out.  Not many songs capture that view, this is extremely well done here.  But out of nowhere, the song takes an immense left turn, quickly raising the emotions and closing that window into the artists mind.  Chills run though your body as the second reprise of the songs chorus brings those memories you always wanted to forget, flooding forward into plain sight.  The songs performance on all instruments is stunningly accurate and emotional.  Something I feel that the band has finally perfected.

With the lights out, and as the crowd leaves, its safe again to remember.  ”On My Own” brings solitary comfort to all of us.  The sounds here are very warm, thick and cover you with a feeling of safety.  Almost as if everything has slowed down, the daily noises around us are muted, images are grey… the faces are indecipherable, and the rest of the world is drifting along to the dream.  The deja vu is overwhelming and we welcome its suffocation onto us, as we fall asleep leaving the world to run its restless ways.

Overall, this album is extremely different than that of any other Luinissinfes record.  The attention to detail, instrumentation, and mix were under the microscope and it paid off.  This is not the typical Luinissinfes.  It is a look inside, one that is fragile, vulnerable, and well protected.  It was cathartic to me personally, and the best memories I have, are of making of this CD.