If there is indeed such a thing as a “folk orchestra,” then Midwest Dilemma is it. If classical orchestras give the composer an array of sounds to work with, then singer-songwriter Justin Lamoureux has created this to realize his sonic vision.
Take “Old Screen,” for example, the first proper song on the album. It rises from delicately strummed guitars and sumptuous blends of voices into shimmering brass-driven crescendos and masterful mass choral creations—the perfect way to kick off, set the tone, and display the sonic breadth of the album.
“The 49’r” is a gorgeous slice of cinematic Americana, all drifting pedal steel and haunting string washes. “Dreaming of the Coast” is an orchestral reverie. “So Well” proves that more straightforward folk-pop songs are also in the band’s sonic remit. “Winter Park” sees them in full country mode, or at least their take on it.
Searching For The Cure For Loneliness is an outstanding album, one that takes folk’s recent makeover much further than anyone else has, a sound as rooted in orchestral orchestration as it is rootsy energies, as gracefully as it is groovesome, ornate as it is accessible, intricate and infectious…an album full of fantastic songs that are both deftly and delicately delivered.
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