Lost Channels

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Product Reviews

(4 stars) - I still like the softer sound more
Recorded along the Thousand Islands bordering Canada and the US, this sounds like a riparian pastoral suite. Tony Dekker leads this hushed band, amping up to current Wilco or mid-period REM volume on the first three and the fifth songs. These don't display the power of Dekker's soft quaver as much as their standard repertoire of quieter, slower, melancholy tunes.

Dekker and band understandably wanted to shake up their sound on this fourth record. The songs that are louder, however, seem nondescript next to ones such as "Concrete Heart" which despite the lyric sheet that makes the words look nearly indecipherable in size and color, still stick with you in simple poetry. The album sinks in as it progresses, and the later songs return to the earlier albums such as "Ongiara" and "Bodies and Minds" with a chamber-folk setting that adds depth subtly. GLS has progressed as the band coalesced to flesh out the low-fi, skeletal, haunting sound of the self-titled debut, and despite the added fullness here on #4, I still prefer the more burrowed, hibernating feel of the softer songs that wrap you under layers.

This is not a record to blast. It's suited for introspection, rain, and waking up or settling down. We all need such music however raucous other CDs on our shelves speak to other moods. It took me a while to get used to Dekker's resolutely steady pace of singing and playing, but this will comfort those in the mood for music that makes you turn inward. How he and his band manage to do this without seeming pitiful or self-absorbed is a difficult quality to explain, but I think more often than not, this record succeeds in separating the fine line on the right side, between twee and depth, pose and insight.

(4 stars) - Great CD!!!
Wonderful CD of folksy-acoustic tunes dripping with lush harmonies. My 15 y.o. daughter thinks it is "album of the year."

(5 stars) - Harmonic convergence
It did not take long for "Lost Channels" by Great Lake Swimmers to become one of those recordings I have to get a "fix of every day. This music is harmonic dopamine, quickening the pulse, mood-altering, blissful. The band surrounding main man Tom Dekker proves more than a supporting cast, taking his songs and turning them into shimmering vignettes.

No filler or schmaltz clogs up the recording, and sentiment is discarded for something clearer, the vision and feelings that come from living without resolution or answers. This music captures the spirit of those souls doomed to quest for love and enlightenment in a fallen world, showing that such a quest is noble, if perhaps doomed.

I thought this idea of recording in historic places could smack of gimmickry, but it works: the instruments resonant distinctly and the voices of Dekker and his supporting singers floats clear as a bell from my Vandersteen speakers. For what it's worth, this is one of those recordings that sounds entirely different when played through a very good stereo (I guess one could make that point about any recording, but the emotional impact of this album is just not the same for me when I hear it in the car or on a smaller sound system.)

(5 stars) - One of the Best This Year So Far
"Lost Channels" by Great Lake Swimmers is a great album. I just recently got the chance to listen to it and I believe that it is one of the best albums I have heard this year. If you are a fan of folk music with meaningful lyrics and beautiful harmonies, this is a must have album for you! This album offers a mix of both upbeat ("Palmistry") and mellow ("Stealing Tomorrow") songs that keep the album interesting. I definitely recommend that everyone give this album a listen.

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