The music of Lake Ruth rightly gets compared to that of Stereolab and Broadcast. There's a similar retro futurist vibe at work in all of the bands. However, with Hawking Radiation, their newest record, and first in seven years, Lake Ruth step into territory that's more their own.
After seven years, it's nice to have the familiar pleasures of a Lake Ruth record back within reach. The crystalline "An Offering" centers Allison Brice's clear vocals in front of instrumentation from Hewson Chen and drums from Matt Schulz. The cut is a perfect example of how Lake Ruth continue to differentiate themselves from the bands who were clearly inspirations. That one, and "Take Me With You" have an immediacy that's palpable. The music has the airy charms that we've come to expect from a Lake Ruth album, ones that are decidedly like those on a Broadcast record, yes, but there's something almost jazzy about this. "Cold Sleep" takes that mood and lets it loose. There's more than a hint of Komeda here -- remember how good they were? -- and Lake Ruth have a sure-but-light touch which lets these pieces breathe, and sound like the work of a band conjuring up these space-y sounds in front of us in the same room. And while a composition named "Astral Voices" will undoubtedly invite comparisons to 'Lab and Broadcast, it sounds a little like material from The Clientele in terms of construction. It's certainly a breezy gem on Hawking Radiation, and one which shows that each player here adds something special to the music, though the voice of Allison Brice is the magic glue that holds it all together.
Hawking Radiation is another superb record from Lake Ruth. There's a mood here that's more rooted in jazz than art rock in some places, and the whole album benefits from a freshness that other acts attempting this sort of thing never touch with such naturalness. Dexterous drumming from Matt Schulz on the absolutely wonderful "Promises Made, Promises Kept", to use another example, signals just how nimble Lake Ruth remain. And the energetic and punchy title cut, to bring up another example, may be one of the best individual Lake Ruth songs to date. The track positively churns with force, and the whole Krautrock-y endeavor caps the album in superb fashion.
Hawking Radiation, with mixing by Geoff Sanoff, is vibrant, fresh, and nearly intoxicating in spots. The bands who influenced this one may be obvious, but the resulting art is all Lake Ruth's own. The trio have delivered one of the best efforts of the summer here.
Hawking Radiation by Lake Ruth is out now. Details below.
[Photo: Lake Ruth]