Lesser Animals - The Feeling Is Real
LESSER ANIMALS RELEASES SUPERB ‘THE FEELING IS REAL’
Boston-based indie-rock outfit Lesser Animals recently released their new album, The Feeling Is Real.
James Sanderson
Originally formed in Scranton, PA, in 2008, followed by frontman James Sanderson moving to Boston in 2011, where the band remained alive courtesy of musicians from the Berklee College of Music, the band disappeared in 2014, but is now back with the following lineup playing with Sanderson: Mike T. Kerr (guitar, bass), Noel Friesen (guitar, bass), and Zach Wheeler (drums).
The Feeling Is Real is retrospective in nature, going back and observing what Sanderson passed through – stress, anxiety, therapy, and depression – and sorting it all out in a non-therapeutic way, like marks on a map. In a sense, a way of measuring how he’s doing.
Encompassing 10-tracks, the album begins with “Great Lakes,” opening on bluesy guitars topped by Sanderson’s evocative voice. When the rhythm takes hold, the tune takes on tints of jazz merged with indie-rock elements, drifting and slightly dreamy.
I love the drums on this track, rumbling and polyrhythmic, imbuing the tune with finessed sonic commerce.
Speaking subjectively, entry points include “Give Up the Rest,” an upbeat, gleaming song full of shimmering guitars and a moderately driving rhythm. There’s a pulsating allure to the harmonics, injecting the tune with surging layers of coloration. A dazzling guitar solo delivers the concept of ‘less is more,’ giving the song bright dynamics.
“Cannot Hang” travels on surf-rock-lite filaments riding a sparkling rhythmic pulse, while Sanderson infuses the lyrics with tasty frissons of marvelous savors. “Never Gonna Die” blends growling guitars with thumping percussion to produce a contagious guitar-rock tune rife with vague hints of punk.
“Huntress” offers folk-rock flavors attended by lusciously lustrous guitars revealing a bewitching amalgamation of tonal coloration. I love the drums on this track, rumbling and polyrhythmic, imbuing the tune with finessed sonic commerce.
The final track, “Hunter,” features soft, glistening guitars rolling into a surf-rock rhythm reminiscent of The Beach Boys’ “In My Room.” Sanderson’s vocals, gentle and tantalizing, infuse the lyrics with shades of affection and warm melancholy.
On The Feeling Is Real, Lesser Animals gift listeners with a magically redolent album, full of significance and emotional transport.
Follow Lesser Animals Website | Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud
