Sometimes, the vocalist’s prowess is enough to elevate a band from the ranks of their contemporaries. But it’s not just Lindsay Lou’s vocals that will make Release Your Shrouds the latest addition to your music collection.
The tight-knit lyrics and infectious joy in The Flatbellys’ songs will make you stop whatever you’re doing and cock an ear. The band’s skill is breath-taking, and it’s obvious through their playing that there is nothing they’d rather do more than come together and make music.
Drawing from Americana and early twentieth-century music, Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys firmly place themselves within the continuity of American music without sounding self-conscious, as many of the bands who try to capture this sound do. No — this is just who they are.
The group’s upbeat songwriting and positive ethos towards life is refreshing in this day and age of urban twenty-somethings like myself trying (inexplicably) to compare themselves to Dustbowl farmers during the Depression. Rather than painting Americans as long-suffering and full of grit, Release Your Shrouds reminds us of the relentless optimism that is the aspect of the “American character” that we should keep close to our hearts.
You can download a free EP of the album from the band’s website.
My Side of the Mountain
The Power
The Leaves Are Changin’
Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys — Official, Facebook, Spotify, Buy Release Your Shrouds