LUMP is a product by Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay. Mike Lindsay’s Droning atmospherics and Laura Marling’s haunting vocals and surrealist writing differentiate from her usual rustic material. It’s a pairing that leaves them in different branches, and LUMP is certainly a fuzzy product that lays wake in a dust-ridden basement that deserves to be explored upon in the future.
Years after that self-titled project, Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay assisted their product in a new phase with ‘Animal’. It departs from the droning, atmospheric, and muted tones and steps towards punchy, still, and lucid atmospheres. This results in the album bringing more layers and color, from Laura Marling’s tranquil vocals and abstract writing to Mike Lindsay’s groovier and tighter production. The project however does stumble, with certain songs meander in a pretty but rather sleepy way and abstract lyricism that lacks a certain emotional resonance beyond certain tracks. Still, there are highlights, from the punchy grooves and hymnal progressions of ‘Animal’, the whimsical allure of ‘Climb Every Wall’, the soothing tones of ‘Red Snakes’, and the slow yet punchy melody of ‘Paradise’.
At this certain phase of their product in this album, Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay put forth a shift that’s worth welcoming and creative. Its glimmer packs more while still not sacrificing what makes LUMP a fascinating product. A dynamic step up from the self-titled record and from where it is standing right now, it might shift yet again on the future in interesting ways.
Favorite Tracks: Animal, Climb Every Wall, Red Snakes, Paradise, We Cannot Resist, Bloom At Night
Least Favorite Track: Oberon