After releasing so many wonderfully warm and inviting albums over their long run, it's easy to expect
LAKE to deliver another album that feels like a long, comforting hug. That's just what they do on their seventh album,
Forever or Never. Its 12 songs of sweetly sung, simply arranged pop are so relaxed and sweet that it's easy to let the sounds float past like hazy clouds on a summer day. The band seems to recognize this and makes sure to add the occasional fuzzy guitar or tricky chord to the mix to keep listeners from burrowing too deep beneath the cozy blanket of sound. Both Eli Moore and
Ashley Eriksson's vocals are peaceful and calm, imbuing the songs with earthy beauty and airy harmony. Laid-back '70s soul-influenced tracks like "Give Back" are balanced by swooning indie pop ballads ("Trouble"); mildly psychedelic songs ("Gone Against the Wind") show that the band isn't all sweetness and light; and a bunch of tunes have the kind of rich, fully arranged sound and massed, almost spiritual vocal harmonies of
the Free Design. "Over Under" especially feels like it could have been on a
Free Design album. There's nothing on the album that could really be called a surprise for anyone who's been following the band even a little. What's really surprising is that they've managed to keep making albums as beautifully done as
Forever or Never for as long as they have. The songwriting has never been less than wonderful, the singing never less than honest, and the albums never less than worthy of adding to collections.
LAKE may never be the most exciting band around, but they are one of the easiest to embrace because of their warmth, openness, and tenderness. These are all things
Forever or Never is full of, and it may even be their most fully realized, best-sounding record yet. They've really worked hard to make every song feel like it was both casually played by a bunch of friends and painstakingly labored over in the studio. That's a fine trick to bring to fruition and they do it with style and ease. ~ Tim Sendra