Lawrence, Kansas-based outfit Lasorda are bringing 2012 to a close with their self-titled album that is scheduled to be on sale Dec. 11. Their debut, released by Clifton Motel, begins with “The Age Of Wonder,” a dreamy tune full of whimsical singing and poetic storytelling. On “Basque On The Borderline,” dual male and female vocal parts harmonize over the makings of something like an ‘80s pop song. The band incorporates the female vocalist’s indie style with synth beats and subdued instrumentals. The fifth cut, “Is There Anymore To Lose” is, once again, a song that revolves around clever lyric-writing. Being only a two-minute number—like most tracks on this album—it is musically simple with its excitable pianos and mellowed singing.
At this point, the similarities between tracks become too much and are officially declared redundant. Finally, the pace changes up with a heartbroken ballad called “A Little Faith.” It begins with soft, sweet keys before traveling toward a climax with a rock-oriented solo, making for a somewhat interesting piece. This track is probably the best musical segment on this record, but even then the product falls short. “Echo In The Night” has a dance song vibe yet still keeps to the tame motif of the music of these artists.
The following number, “Sleep When You Are Dead” is dominated, for a change, by male vocals and definitely has an alt-rock flavor. With this song, it’s almost like an entirely different group came in and wrote the music but somehow the result is the same. Therein lies the biggest hurdle for this group to clear. Throughout the record, Lasorda does not venture from ethereal vocals and programmed bass. They have some work do to, as the band will not thrive writing music that is indecipherable from one piece to the next.
In A Word: Vanilla
