Band: Lost Ocean
Title: Could This Be Love?
Label: N/A
Release Date: November 2009
Review By: Scott L
Tracklisting:
- Lately I Can’t Fly
- Good Morning
- Part Of You
- Close To Me
- Every Word She Said
- Hours Away
- Come My Way
- Looking Up
- Dance To This Heartbeat
- What We Do
- Lose Your Love
- One Last Goodnight
- You Are All I Need
- Love Medley
Wow! Buy it! The end. Okay, so you’re probably looking for a little bit more than that. Even still, you can consider that the review in a nutshell. Seriously, to say that this CD is beautiful is like saying Michael Moore is a fat slob… it’s a gross understatement. Add to that the fact that the opening track has one of the hookiest hooks and sweetest opening lines I’ve heard in a long time and you’re on your way to catching a glimpse of just what a great release this is. Better make room on you albums of the year list, folks.
Lost Ocean is a 4-piece hailing from Bakersfield, California that plays a… well, maybe you should sit down for this. I don’t know it I’d go as far as to use the proverbial ‘forget everything you thought you knew about Lost Ocean’… but let me start by saying that they’ve done some serious tinkering with their sound. Gone is the brooding melancholy of their self-titled full-length and in it’s place is a catchier-than-catchy style of airy piano rock that would stand up smartly alongside such bands as Something Corporate, Seabird, or The Jealous Sound.
While the new sound is, as I mentioned, a departure of sorts from Lost Ocean’s previous style… it lends a new dynamic to the band and should help gather a much larger following. Some may dub the change as pandering to the market… but I don’t think that the change will alienate that many of the band’s faithful fans. “Could This Be Love?” is still very much Lost Ocean. It’s just Lost Ocean 2.0, if you will. Lost Ocean, new and improved. A little flashier. A little shinier. A little more polished. But at it’s core you’ll still find everything that drew you to their music in the first place.
Lyrically, Lost Ocean is, as the CD title implies, all about life, love, and learning to trust. But mostly about love. Consider the song “One Last Goodnight” which says, “I woke up / and I knew / she’d be gone tomorrow afternoon / other side / of the world / she means so much to me / I just can’t let this be / our last goodnight / waiting here won’t change her mind” Or “Come My Way” which says, “you and I / don’t care much about money / yeah, it’d be nice / but it’s not what life’s about / hand in hand / yes, we’re gonna get married / by the countryside with flowers in your hair / come my way / there’s nothing left to contemplate / there couldn’t be a better way / to say the truth / I love you”. If you’re looking for spirituality, you should probably look elsewhere. No deep revelation here. I can imagine someone somewhere thinking, “Well, if God is love and the CD is about love, then …” Good luck with that. Just enjoy the CD for what it is. Genuine, value affirming light indie pop.
The standout track for me was “Every Word She Said” which is the title track in a way. It’s a great song about… well, falling in love. Catchy, romantic, and meaningful all in just under 4 minutes. “Part Of Me” was also a ridiculously catchy tune in the vein of We Shot The Moon. Seriously, I could go on until I’d listed all 14 tracks… my best of CD list is a mess of scribbled and scratched out songs. This one’s best… no this one. Oh, man, that one’s best. Suffice to say the album is heavy on “hit” and light on “miss”.
As far as packaging goes, lyrics would have bee nice to have included. But then again, stepping out of the Credential stable and setting out on your own no doubt involves trimming a bit off the edges here and there. The cover was cool. It reminded me a little of Switchfoot’s “Oh! Gravity.” cover art. I did notice that, whether a result of conscious decision or not, that the wedding rings worn by the couple on the cover were both clearly visible in the drawing. Nice touch.
Overall: Lost Ocean continues to craft catchy music while broadening their appeal. “Could This Be Love?” is a great CD and one that is well worth your time to dedicate some time to. Wow! Buy it! The end!
www.myspace.com/lostocean