Shady Lane - Here We Go Down the Black Hole (Album)
Holy crapola- where did this CD come from? Which planet? From the moment I put it in the CD player, I felt a slight tingle in my feet followed by an enlightening ethereal sensation. I’m convinced there’s something in the water that’s producing some amazing bands from our northern neighbours. Sydney’s Jordy Lane aka Shady Lane delivers and I mean delivers, this debut album- not to be confused with the local Melbourne folkster Jordie Lane- once you listen to this album, their names might be similar, musically two different planets, and our world welcomes the creative moniker Shady Lane.
Shady Lane deliver this piece of genius, their new album Here we Go Down the Black Hole is sumptuously layered with tasteful keys, angelic vocals and tasteful cellos. Reading over the band's bion some of their influences are evident in this album, spanning from Arcade Fire, Beach Boys, Flaming Lips…you get the picture- dimly-lit rooms, late night jams at home and lovely wine.
Lyrical themes in this album flirt with death, theology and life vs. our inner existence, comic beings, stratospherically buoyant relevance and our relationship with the universe. The music is atmospheric winding round lightly strummed guitars, a tasteful rhythm section that plays just superbly complementing the songs-obscure sound bites popping in and out of the tracks – covered with synthesisers on top. Jordy’s vocals come across venerable, sincere and honest, there’s no hidden agenda with them.
My personal stand out tracks are Who is the Host with kick-arse lyrics like: “fitting in by not standing out” and “Ouch my head”. Well, my pitch is for this to be played to every nervous international flyer, guaranteed to bring you down, zone you out and think about your life and where you’re going.
My only concern with this album is its realistic ability to be able to replicate live….and what musical compromises would be made to make it possible. Regardless, this my friends is a aural experience, once you listen to this cd for the first time, in years to come it will bring you back to this moment, bring out the bean bag, dim the lights, welcome to the world of Shady Lane….
