Music review: Umbrellas - Illuminare
Umbrellas - Illuminare
October 17, 2006
Umbrellas is fronted by Scott Windsor, formerly of the hopelessly emo band, The Lyndsay Diaries. The formation of Umbrellas marks a tremendous leap forward for Windsor, first with the 2005 self-titled disc, and now with 2006’s Illuminare.
Apparently the album was created in an old, dusty comedy club in Oklahoma during a series of tornados that continually interrupted recording. This environment may have contributed to the turbulent mood of the album.
Combining gentle guitar rhythms with simple percussion and a touch of electronica, Illuminare is musically superb. Windsor’s dream-like, airy voice has a tendency to make the songs a little too sweet for repeated consumption and the lyrics are still reminiscent of a kid with black hair, crying in his journal about lost love in a dark room. That aside, the general sound of the album is quite good. Another Umbrellas member is James McAlister, who has done percussion for the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Rocky Votolato.
Umbrellas should keep working with the sound that they have developed, but begin to explore new avenues of lyrical direction.
Now you go...
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