Diamonds

Album review

Over a gently chugging guitar riff, Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett offer the melodious refrain "sweet relief from everything, just like the eager birds, I want to sing." The Australian duo, known as Luluc, have occupied a curious musical space since debuting in the late 2000s. Their songs are poetic, often melancholic, and steeped in traditions that recall the '60s folk revivals of both the U.S. and U.K. Legendary Witchseason producer Joe Boyd (Nick Drake, Fairport Convention) was an early supporter of Luluc, and yet they also have one foot in indie rock, recording several albums for Sub Pop, touring with J Mascis, and collaborating regularly with session luminaries like Aaron Dessner, Jim White, and Stuart Bogie. Diamonds is their fifth album together and finds the ever-wistful pair in an unusual state of contentment. Elegant and understated, Luluc are unlikely candidates to create a classic American road song and yet, with the title track they do just that. With its easy bounce and lively horn arrangement courtesy of returning foil Stuart Bogie, "Diamonds" cycles through a series of tour stops (San Antonio, Ann Arbor), extolling the virtues of a self-made world, "it's all a dream, how big or small you want it to be." Self-produced by Randell and Hassett in their adopted hometown of Brooklyn, the album is one of their most complete statements to date. With her distinctive low voice and unhurried pace, Randell is a master at describing the underlooked details of life, bringing to them a richness and sense of wonder. Whether it's the sweetly playful "Sleepyhead" or the hushed love declaration "Evermore," there is an economy to her lyrics. Nothing is superfluous, no word is out of place, yet the songs feel so natural and eternal. It's one of Luluc's defining features, this ability to contain a quiet multitude of emotions in a single line. Each album in the band's catalog is a gem and Diamonds, with its dream-like tone and bouquet of lived-in stories, is perhaps their brightest.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo