When Landshapes decided it was time to change their name from the twee-sounding Lulu & the Lampshades, they were undergoing a change of focus and direction that -- on evidence of their ramshackle, genre-crossing tunes on debut Rambutan -- is still likely to be forever in constant development. Skipping frivolously through flecks of folk, pop, and off-kilter psych moments among playful percussion and wonderful harmonies, the London-based four-piece still manages to tame this melting pot of genres -- albeit in slightly fragmented fashion. The opener, "Racehorse," is a languid affair that follows a wandering bassline and a minimal, wavering guitar as lead singers Luisa Gerstein and Heloise Tunstall-Behrens' rather haunting, harmonized vocals lament. Everything splutters into life with the Latin-influenced drums and jangled guitars of "In Limbo," which breaks away into a middle section with a strong, harmonized melody that sets the tone for the vocals throughout the record. They entered the studio with producer/engineer Ash Workman (Metronomy, Summer Camp) and his -- and their own -- perseverance to find the right sound for each song to shine individually. The extent of their perfectionism can be heard in the album version of "LJ Jones," which is unrecognizable from the original version that was taken into the studio. There are some remnants of the songs they played under their former moniker; "Impasse" and "Demons" are both reworked here, but they still hold much of the twee folk hallmarks, including glockenspiels, quirky strings, and percussion. The inclusion of these tracks steers the album away from its opening salvo and fritters the end of the album into an array of songs put together, rather than a flowing body of work. Despite the disjointed combination of old and new, the big harmonies and assortment of instruments display the diligent transformation they have undergone to produce a varied, genre-hopping debut.
© Scott Kerr /TiVo