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josiah botting - album review: lord huron | strange trails lyrics

lord huron | strange trails
released: april 7, 2015
genre: alternative, rock, indie, indie rock
listening format: vinyl
how did i find out about this alb-m?

the very last song on the alb-m, “the night we met”, was used on the 13 reasons why soundtrack. if you have seen the show, it is used when tony plays the slow song for the school dance in episode 5. i fell in love with the song, then found out it was also used in the flash back on season 1 episode 18. since then, i looked at getting the whole alb-m on vinyl because it sounds like an alb-m to hear on lp. it was sold out until about a month ago, and i was able to snag it. i listened to the alb-m for the first time on the vinyl for that experience

opening statements | what did i think of the alb-m

this alb-m is very well done. i love the style they took, a very nostalgic feel to it. the alb-m sounds exceptional on vinyl, i used the sennheiser momentum headphones to listen rather than my cheap apple headphones. the alb-m was very clear, little noise included on the tracks to add that old-time/nostalgic quality that i noticed is found even on the digital files

how many times have i listened to this alb-m?

on vinyl, about 2
digitally, 4 or 5

track one: love like ghosts
runtime: 3:44
rating: 10/10
favourite line: i don’t feel it till it hurts sometimes / oh go on baby, hurt me tonight | yes i know that love is like ghosts / oh, and what ain’t living can never really die

the first track on the alb-m starts off slow for the first minute with the guitar strumming in the background, then picks up on the chorus. i enjoyed this opening track as it acts as the introduction to a story throughout the alb-m. the lead character is in love with this girl but knows that sometimes the love won’t be there like a ghost. also, the song foreshadows the ending where the main character ends up dying. i don’t really understand the story that the artist is trying to portray through the songs so i will stick to what the song means to me and how i understand the lyrics. the whole alb-m uses a variety of instruments, i hear some that i don’t typically hear in songs, which makes the alb-m even more unique

track two: until the night turns
runtime: 3:47
rating: 10/10
favourite line: i had a visitor come from the great beyond / and telling me our time that the world is done

this track starts off with high energy and gets the listener amped up. i don’t know some of the instruments used in this song but the mystery of these makes me enjoy this track even more. i think that this track gives off the vibes of a song to be found in a diner jukebox, or a song that would be used to get the crowd pumped up at a school dance in an older movie, which makes me enjoy it even more. the song talks about two characters who talk about the plan to stay together even if the world is ending. i like how the song has a message of positivity, that even if the world is ending they will continue to love each other until they die or “the night turns into the day”.

track three: dead man’s hand
runtime: 4:21
rating: 6/10
favourite line: you come back from a trip to the east / but you don’t come back from the dead

this ballad has a very interesting story. coming from the lead characters perspective, he finds a man about to die on a path. the lead character then listens to this mans wish. the man asks to not be put in a grave but to be left out on the road. these lyrics rhyme which makes it more likeable, but it is kinda slow for my liking. the song isn’t bad, but compared to the other songs on this alb-m, it is very slow and doesn’t have those upbeat energetic vibes

track four: hurricane (johnnie’s theme)
runtime: 2:47
rating: 10/10
favourite line: oh little darlin’ don’t you look charming / here in the eye of a hurricane | i get a thrill outta playing with fire / cause you hold your life when you hold that flame

“hurricane” has to be one of my favourite tracks on the alb-m. i love the upbeat vibes, and just how his voice bobs up and down to the melody. the song’s message talks about how this girl looks beautiful and that’s all that matters to him, even though there is a hurricane on its way. dark theme, uplifting beat, makes you overlook the lyrics. the song is also very short. between its happy melody and short time, i find myself saying to myself “it’s over already?” almost every time

track five: la belle fleur sauvage
runtime: 5:41
rating: 8/10
favourite line: i’d give it all to love that girl

this song isn’t my least favourite, but it is still pretty good. it has a nice melody, and i enjoy the style. i feel the song would be found in a movie where they are showing the landscape with dirt or trees or mountains. it sounds really nice on vinyl as well, one of the best tracks on the lp (along with “the night we met” and “hurricane”). i like the guitar used in the instrumental interlude

track six: fool for love
runtime: 4:35
rating: 8/10
favourite line: i was born to lose cause i’m a fool for love | i’m hummin’ like a revved up truck / nevermind the odds i’m gonna try my luck

this song is very up beat, and folky. the song is talking about falling in love with this girl who has another man. he does everything in his power to get the girl, and ends up beating “big jim” and wins the girl. the song is unique in the sense that it has back up vocals doing a “buh-bup-bup-bo-ah-up” after the chorus which makes you want to bob your head even more. i like the sound of his acoustic guitar, it blends in with the sound very well

track seven: the world ender
runtime: 4:30
rating: 8/10
favourite line: i’m the world ender, baby, and i’m coming for them / they put me in the ground but i’m back from the dead

i don’t know how to describe this song. it has something in it that just makes me enjoy the song. i can’t tell if it’s the instruments working together to create this dark but at the same time energetic feel, or if it’s the vocals. they create a build up-starting with the chorus and eventually by the end of the song you feel revved up and ready to go after those who did him wrong

track eight: meet me in the woods
runtime: 4:22
rating: 10/10
favourite line: i f-cked with the forces that our eyes can’t see / now the darkness got a hold on me

this song starts off quiet, then picks up as it gets closer to verse 1. i enjoy how the female vocals bounce off the male vocals on the chorus. the song also includes an interesting interlude after the chorus with the la-la-la-la-da-da-da-da-da. i really like how the song works as the middle point of the alb-m, after this song, the tracks are significantly slower, not as energetic, but not dull

track nine: the yawning grave
runtime: 3:13
rating: 7/10
favourite line: oh, you fool, there are rules, i am coming for you

another song on the alb-m that could be used as a slow song. it has a nice slow melody and is also is the third shortest song on the alb-m. this song blew me away, i didn’t notice this until i re-listened to this song on my mac. it is one of the songs that flows into the next one without any sign of a song change. the following song “frozen pines” sounds very similar to this one. so, if you added these two songs together it would be the longest song on the alb-m

track ten: frozen pines
runtime: 3:57
rating: 7/10
favourite line: there was no one else in sight / just the endless frozen pines

the second half of the song, “frozen pines” made me start to feel cold when i first heard the song. the song doesn’t include a warm feeling to the music, but rather sounds the same as it is t-tled, very cool and moody instrumentals and sounds darker than the rest. i enjoyed how this song flowed from one to another and how the instruments worked to create that cold-dark-moody feeling

track eleven: cursed
runtime: 3:58
rating: 5/10
favourite line: i was under her spell / and today i feel like h-ll

i got a little happy on this song when he said the alb-m t-tle on this song. asides from that, i didn’t enjoy this song so much. it’s not horrible, just was more of a ballad and nothing unique about it. i think the lyrics are really good, talking about a guy who is in love with this girl who controls his life and he feels “cursed” while he’s with her

track twelve: way out there
runtime: 4:10
rating: 9/10
favourite line: i’ve been running through life and cruising toward death | i’m a long way from the one that i loved / i’ve been tending old flames, lamenting what was

this song has a very solid build up. it has a solid chorus and builds up to it. with an acoustic guitar starting off, slowly adding more instruments in, with a few cymbals in the background at the chorus. this song sounds very eerie as if it would be the perfect soundtrack for a hike in the woods. i got happy inside on this song as well. it states in the chorus “when you follow the strange trails” which is the t-tle of the alb-m. almost like the two songs prior to this, “way out there” flows into “louisa” just not as subtle. still sounds really cool!

track thirteen: louisa
runtime: 3:10
rating: 3/10
favourite line: i feel alive when i’m with you, baby / so tell me that i won’t ever be lonely again

this song isn’t horrible. it just isn’t my favourite. it sounds a little too chaotic on the chorus/bridge for me, and i wasn’t able to focus on a certain part of the song

track fourteen: the night we met
runtime: 3:28
rating: 10/10
favourite line: i had all and then most of you / some and now none of you / take me back to the night we met / i don’t know what i’m supposed to do / haunted by the ghost of you / take me back to the night we met
annotations: song bio | is this song featured in 13 reasons why?

“the night we met” is my favourite song off this alb-m, and is arguably one of my favourite slow songs / songs of all time. i don’t know what it is about this song, whether it’s the humming at the intro that sets the mood, or the subtle guitar in the background that follows through the whole song. the whole reason i bought this alb-m on vinyl was to hear this song on the record. it is amazing!! i love how it sounds, super clear, and a warmer feeling, but also the song feels very nostalgic even though it was made in 2015. i had the honour of going to a school dance last semester and the dj played this song as the slow song, i got to dance to this song and i was happy. i highly suggest everyone listens to this song at least once or twice

final thoughts

this alb-m was already incredible, but to hear it again on vinyl is a whole new expirence. if you are a record junkie, and come across this alb-m, it’s worth a listen or two. i really like how this song fits almost any activity i am doing. if it’s background music for studying, driving to work through the country, i even played it on my way to parry sound the other day and it works. this alb-m feels like it could be used in a western movie, or an older movie, and it sounds sooo good!!

will i listen again? | yes, more than once
will i suggest to a friend? | probably!
will i add more alb-ms by this artist to my collection? | if i can find them!

all the lyrics for strange trails are available now!

- josiah botting lyrics

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