Song of the Day: LN - Better to Be Cool

If you’ve followed my writings for any amount of time, it’s not hard to discern my love for all things shoegaze, dream pop and the like. One of the best in the game was the mysterious LN. I was never quite sure if it was a band, or a solo project masquerading as a band. Sure, it was fairly well known that Gary Murray (who later recorded as Gary Murray and LN, and then just as Gary Murray) was the principal of the band, but not as clear who else was involved or at what level.

Regardlessly, the project recorded a number of albums and EPs, all registering at the slow-core end of the indie rock spectrum. While each album could be categorized into different but related subgenres–shoegaze to dream pop to ambient pop to alternative country–there was always a similar sonic quality to them. Hushed/hypnotic vocals, dream-like arrangements, layered guitars, and an overall minimalist approach to a complex genre. One of my favorites has been the debut, 1997’s Cool September Skies, probably the most shoegazing of the lot.

I remember reading an interview with Gary somewhere in the early 2000s (not sure where–if someone can point me in the right direction, please mention it in the comments) where he was asked about his faith. Specifically, he was asked if his belief in Jesus Christ made its way into the music of LN. I’ve always loved the simplicity of Gary’s answer. “Yes, my belief in Jesus does impact my music, but I’m not sure how it does” (paraphrased). There’s lots of debate about what it even means to make Christian music. It’s my own contention that there is a lot of both depth and breadth of how we can define that, and I was glad that LN’s approach was one of them.