Lawrence Arabia is a one-man-show and behind the name there’s a New Zealander by the name of James Milne. And no, believe it or not, he didn’t have anything to do with The Lord of the Rings. I think? I’ll have to check that up.
Milne is also a member of The Reduction Agents and has among other things played bass for Okkervil River and The Brunettes. Chant Darling is his second album and it’s packed with musical references. The overall sound is similar to that of 60’s guitar pop, but it’s mixed with britpop, country and various other things. Lots of beautiful guitar hooks and a lot of choiring. The song “Eye A” will probably remind you of a certain song by Dexy’s Midnight Runners, while “Fine Old Friends” has something of a similarity to Blur.
There are also a few similarities that are a bit annoying, like the guitar in “Auckland CBD,” which sounds almost exactly like some Vampire Weekend song. And then there’s “Apple Pie Bed”. My better half made me aware of how much the bass line sounds like a cheesy song by a Norwegian humour group called KLM (The melody’s originally from Little Peggy March’s “I Will Follow Him.”) They’re still amazing songs though, you just have to ignore the similarities.
Lawrence Arabia’s sound isn’t really too original and the album has its ups and downs, but there’s no doubt that milne has a knack for making great pop songs sewn together from lots of different styles. It also helps that it’s all done with a bit of humour and great production. It’s a varied and fun album and though Chant Darling probably isn’t among the very best albums we’ll see this year, James Milne is definitely a name to watch out for.