| Ladyhawk - Shots |
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Ladyhawk's sophomore album is emotionally resplendent, but never overindulgent. Mixing fast-paced, raucous songs with mellow, wistful tracks, much like they did on their self-titled debut, Shots is a mirror for the whims of the soul, containing the motifs of death ("Corpse Paint" and "Faces of Death") and romantic longing/realization (the line, "I know there is no such thing as endless love"). "Fear" perfectly exemplifies the Canadian Ladyhawk's indie-rock sensibility: wavering, dual-layered vocals sing anxiously as a melodic barrage of clashing instruments collectively fade to silence.
Taking from the poetic Neil Young, adding unpolished early '90s grunge, a pinch of Connor Oburst, and elements of metal, something distinctly Ladyhawk pokes through. On "Night You're Beautiful," with what sounds like Lou Reed's "do do do's" from "Walk on the Wild Side" in the background, a brave electric guitar weaves around and around dynamic vocals and fresh distortion. The swagger of their 10-minute finale "Ghost Blues" escalates to multi-screamed vocals that break and reshape themselves as the instruments gets increasingly loud. With striking and spontaneous guitar solos, gentle acoustics, and the ability to switch between such utter quiet and jam-packed sound, Shots is too honorable and magnificent for anyone to consciously ignore.
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