So Long

Louque

Lava Records

Recommended if you like:…

So Long

Louque

Lava Records

Recommended if you like: Mediocre reggae

It’s so hard to be a musician in 2004. Every band claims to sound like everyone else, and influences mean jack on press releases. Half the time, bands never sound like who they say they do. I was skeptical about this album.

The press said that if I liked Massive Attack and Coldplay, I would dig Louque. If I liked old-school reggae and dub, and if I loved ambient music, I would dig Louque. If I hated what was on the radio, I would dig Louque.

Could I really dig Louque after all these brave and abstract comparisons?

I’m sure some of you are asking, “Is it Loake/Lo-coo/Lo-qwee … ahh, forget it; how do you say it?” It’s pronounced like the name “Luke.” Now, this seems pretentious on its own. But I was supposed to expect “hypnotic, homemade beats and mysterious Cajun influences,” creating an “ambient masterpiece.” I don’t know if it lives up to all that hype, but the comparisons to Coldplay and Massive Attack seem pretty far off-base.

The band does not have the slick beat production of Massive Attack, nor any of the vocal or melody stylings of Coldplay. If I were told that this was a straight-up reggae/dub record, I would have given this a better score. But I don’t like being misled, much like many of you out there. The closest Louque gets to Massive Attack or Coldplay is in “Still in Waiting,” but only because it’s mainly piano, bass and drums. It still does not compare to either of the two artists in any other way, which is rather unfortunate.

This record wouldn’t fall under any real ambient category, either. Does anyone even know what ambient means anymore? Ambient is usually minimalist, and there’s definitely way too much going on in this album to even classify it as minimalist or ambient. Why do record companies try to pigeonhole their artists into categories they clearly don’t belong in?

Ranting about genres aside, the music itself is pretty decent, and the vocals are nice, even if they get annoying at times. The production is also very nice on this record, thus giving it a bit more in the quality points category.

If you like reggae, you will probably enjoy this album. It’s not cutting-edge and it won’t blow your mind, but it’s decent as far as that genre goes. If you’re expecting some great triphop, a la Massive Attack, or Britpop, a la Coldplay, you’re not going to find it here. But if you’re looking for an above-average reggae record, this will probably be right up your alley.

Louque’s probably not going to turn any heads, but it should make for some interesting tunes for you dub-heads out there. But I strongly encourage that those not interested much in reggae to steer clear of this genre-dropping endowed artist.