With
Another One Lost,
Lake Trout moved further into the
Radiohead-cleared ether, bending the drum'n'bass and electronica influences of Alone at Last into a more modern rock aesthetic. The resulting 13 tracks are beautiful, minimalist explorations of richly subtle proportions. Like their work mimicking electronic music in a live setting, the band relies on repetitive loops and interesting sounds to meticulously build up stark emotional landscapes. There is a sense of momentous inevitability about nearly all of the songs featured on the record, vocalist Woody Ranere's voice alternating between a
Thom Yorke-like whispered falsetto and a more plain half-spoken earnestness. The band's choice of loops -- such as gently deteriorating notes from Ranere at the bases of both "Her" and "Still" (where it sounds positively Hawaiian) -- is effective throughout.
Mike Lowry's propulsive drumming, which moves for the first time into ambient textural work on several tracks, is also a key to the band's success, with songs like the explosive "180 Bliss" reminding the listener that, even in their apparent restrained melancholy, the band is still capable of incredible force. ~ Jesse Jarnow