At Home
Tonetree, 2021
9/10
If you’ve been following up to this point, you’ll know that Lauren and Daniel Goans, i.e. Lowland Hum, are among the finest in the area of modern, minimalist folk sounds, and with quarantine, natural disaster and pregnancy giving them plenty of fodder for new material, At Home brings us some of their best work yet.
“Where Are You?” starts the listen with stirring nylon string guitar as expressive, poetic singing flows alongside bare keys in the very inviting opener, and “2082” follows with a soft, folksy climate that brings a warm Americana spirit where both members sing with grace.
Towards the middle, the eloquent strumming of “Not My Kind Of World” resonates with a timeless, fuller display of beauty, while “Strange Love” gets a bit more firm as a slight jangle enters the playful landscape. “Take Me In”, the best of the best, then showcases the pair’s strong vocal skills amid well timed keys and hypnotic guitar work.
“Mystery Hymn” lands near the end and is quite bare and with much emotion as Lauren’s flawless pipes take focus, and “New Day” exits the listen key focused, where the pair harmonize in a way that few others will ever replicate, and it finishes the very comforting listen on a high note.
A quiet affair like all of their work, this installment of Lowland Hum’s sublime and hushed song craft is full of two-part harmonies, often vulnerable and always insightful moments, and is the first with the Goans as parents, which is undoubtedly influencing their well thought out vision and art.
Travels well with: Andrea Von Kampen- Old Country; Penny & Sparrow- Finch;