Lonnie Walker
These Times Old Times
Americana/Punk
(Terpsikhore)
Old times become new times as Lonnie Walker offers a colorful account of familiar life experiences. On its first full-length album the Raleigh band takes well-known themes of growing up, falling in and out of love and starting over, and breathes new life into them with clever lyrics and strong instrumentation.
The lyrical composition is the lifeblood of the album. One moment frontman Brian Corum is wistfully musing about failed relationships and the next he’s rattling off humorous lines at breakneck speed, as in “Summertime,” where he sings, "It's a mighty fine nice head/And it's got mighty fine nice thoughts/And if my brain had legs/And it could walk around the block/Then it would wear a pair of sunglasses/And Coppertone Sunblock.”
The frantic energy of the band is engaging and sucks you in to this well-controlled chaos. With “Compass Comforts,” Corum seems to be having a competition with himself to see how fast and how long he can say the words before he runs out of air. On “Back Home Inside You,” he takes the phrase “did you ever even really care,” and twists it and turns the order around with dizzying effect. But there is no sacrifice of content for fun; Corum doesn’t let his wordplay take away from delivering stories and messages that everyone can relate to.
If Lonnie's lyrics are the blood, then the musical arrangements are the bones and muscle that hold the album together. Whether it’s the sinister touch of an organ, a retro-sounding chorus of croons or their trademark staccato rhythms, each song is infused with quirks that capture the attention of the listener. And yet the album flows together remarkably well, due in part to several well-placed instrumental tracks.
Lonnie Walker is a great example of how to make smart yet accessible songs that simultaneuously express both fun and sincerity. Much like the re-reading of a well-crafted book, These Times Old Times will have you hitting the replay button over and over again to catch something new.
Lonnie Walker plays Cat's Cradle this Saturday night as part of I Was Totally Destroying It's CD release party. Show starts at 8:30 and costs $10.
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