The Honeymooners - Still Honeymooning...

​The Honeymooners

Still Honeymooning...
self-released; 2015

3.8 out of 5

​By Matt Jensen
​

There are plenty of things in this world that make me want to attach a cinder block to my foot, jump into a lake and never be found again. One of those things is people who constantly post what they had for dinner on Facebook; the other thing is a couple of bands that sing love songs about how in love they are. In the case of the latter these types of duo acts such as Us the Duo have popped up all over and are completely nauseating to anyone with an actual human soul. 

When I was reading over the bio for Aaron and Elizabeth Lehr I was starting to think that’s what I was in store for. Their band name is The Honeymooners for Christ’s sake. The surprise that awaited me was that their music couldn’t be much farther away from the contrived pop songs that couples in love make about being in love.

On their recent release Still Honeymooning… Elizabeth (upright bass) and Aaron (guitar) make instrumental music that mixes elements of jazz, folk and classical to name a few. That being said the music often feels hard to classify. The two words that kept on popping up in my mind were “traditional” and “organic.” I often felt the music had a timeless quality where it felt relevant today and could also have been played in the ‘70s.

There are some great tunes on this album such as “4567” which revolves around the warmth of the bass and the crisp, sharper notes of the guitar. The song sounds full, alive and vibrant as the sounds feel as if they are being played about two feet away from you. 

Some songs such as “New Soul” put the guitar in the forefront while the bass sometimes feel like it has more of supportive role. That being said things can change quickly. One thing is for certain is that they both have a lot of technical talent but more importantly they have a good understanding for the dynamic between the two instruments. 

Another important thing to note is that you may think that songs composed on guitar and bass would sound too similar. That's not the case when you listen to a song like “Welcome” versus “Sukairain.” There is a different energy to these songs but they also are not so different that it feels like a different band. 

The Honeymooners beat the living pulp out of the stereotype I envisioned in my mind before I heard their music. Thanks to them I’m going to loosen this knot around my foot, remove the cinder block and live to see another day.

official website

Tweet