Love Songs for Losers

by The Lone Bellow

Overview

With 2020's Half Moon Light, the Lone Bellow showcased a shift in creative direction. With producer Aaron Dessner, they shifted their country-derived sound to engage indie rock and adult alternative. They allowed a larger role for keyboards without sacrificing emotional heft or a knack for melodic hooks. To guarantee they got it right this time, they self-produced the poignant, 11-song Love Songs for Losers and move further from their origins to excellent result. Opener and advance single "Honey" commences with shimmering moody keyboards and amplified acoustic guitars atop a throbbing, droning bassline. The Lone Bellow production template alternately recalls the synth atmospherics of Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel of Love, and Joshua Tree-period U2. The melody is all theirs, however, as Zach Williams' lyric reflects his wife Stacy's chagrin at being called "honey" or "baby." The redemptive chorus breaks the frame: "I got the headlights off and the radio on/Every window is down here comes that song/We used to sing so loud at the top of our lungs/Put the pedal to the floor let the darkness come." In "Gold," a skeletal snare, ringing guitars, and hovering synth underscore Williams' vocal as he addresses the plight of an opiate addict. Poetic lyrics are offered in a soaring low tenor; they juxtapose fleeting memory, desperation, resignation, and illusory hope above a clash of rock drums, Brian Elmquist's roaring guitars, and Kanene Donehey Pipkin's keyboards. "I'm in Love" is an anthemic rocker with cascading harmonies that depict the full flush of fevered romance that exists at the exclusion of everything else. Americana, early roots rock, and doo wop emerge on "Cost of Living," composed by Pipkin; she also delivers its glorious lead vocal. The grain in her singing voice reveals devastation and betrayal, as the lyric metaphorically equates love's devastating loss with the almost unbearable cost the heart pays to carry on. The use of pillowy reverb on the Buddy Holly-esque "Unicorn" is smooth, sweet, and tender, with breaking drums and intricate vocal harmonies. "Move" is an acoustically driven paean to a dying loved one. It honestly addresses years of miscommunication and distance, while desiring the beloved's transition from infirmity to freedom amid muted banjos, swelling horns, and buoyant vocal choruses. "Homesick" is a rootsy, country-bluegrass tune sung in tribute to family and the protagonist's unquenchable thirst for home. Its singalong chorus is supported by strummed acoustic and whining steel guitars, fiddles, mandolins, and a shuffling snare. It serves as the theme song to the Magnolia Network renovation series The Williams Family Cabin, starring Zach and Stacy Williams. "Caught Me Thinking" nods to vintage R&B and gospel a la the Band. It offers strutting horns, pumping pianos, seamless, resonant vocal harmonies, and a searing lyric that speaks to the painful memories associated with lost love. The Lone Bellow took a risk in self-producing Love Songs for Losers, and they pulled it off. Through this deeply moving collection of songs with a wide range of musical expressions, the album offers creative abundance and possibility. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	11/04/2022
Label:	DUALTONE MUSIC GROUP
UPC:	0803020245822

Tracks

1. Honey
2. Gold
3. I'm in Love
4. Cost of Living
5. Dreaming
6. Move
7. Unicorn
8. Wherever Your Heart Is
9. Homesick
10. Caught Me Thinkin'
11. The Great Divide

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Lone Bellow   Primary Artist
Jason Pipkin   Banjo,Mandolin,Synthesizer,Synthesizer Bass,Bass
Julian Dorio   Drums,Percussion
Keith Everette Smith   Trumpet
Jacob Sooter   Piano,Keyboards,Mellotron,Synthesizer,Lap Steel Guitar,Synthesizer Bass,Guitar (Electric)
Antonio Marin   Strings
Jimmy Bowland   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone)
Nate Leath   Fiddle,Strings,Mandolin
Brian Elmquist   Bass,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background),Guitar (Nylon String)
Kanene Donehey Pipkin   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Zach Williams   Vocals,Hi String Guitar
Allison Marin   Strings
Jonathan Salcedo   Trombone

Technical Credits

Eric Ryan Anderson   Photography
Mark Cunningham   Management
Joe LaPorta   Mastering
Keith Everette Smith   Contractor,Horn Arrangements
Sean Moffitt   Mixing
Jacob Sooter   Screams,Producer,Programming,String Arrangements
Lynn Cingari   Booking
Christian Paschall   Engineer
Trent Dabbs   Composer,Programming
Brian Elmquist   Composer,Producer
Ryan Mohr   Engineer
Kanene Donehey Pipkin   Composer,Vocal Producer
Megan Letts   Management
Rob Challice   Booking
Luke Preston   Composer
Zach Williams   Composer
Aaron Sawyer   Management
Fetzer Design   Art Direction
Hannah Boren   Management
Philip Logan Barnes   Composer