the lost patrol - chasing shadows

The Lost Patrol 

Chasing Shadows
self-released; 2014

4.0 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The Lost Patrol say that its project aspires to bring together elements of indie rock, melodic hardcore, spoken word and other forms of alternative music to create a unique, experimental sound. After taking a listen to their recent album Chasing Shadows it sounds like their aspirations are becoming a reality. So what is that sound? The music has a dream-like quality a lot of the time (think Mazzy Star) because of how they implement reverb but this is ultimately still a rock band making accessible pop songs. 

The band is led by Mollie Israel who is great all around but does have multiple styles in which she chooses to sing. Sometimes she reminded of a badass like Ann Wilson (“Treachery”) and then other times she kind of sounded like Enya (“S'enfuir”). The band can hold its own but the songs are held down by the vocals.

The opener “Creeper” combines a misty dreamlike thematic atmosphere with a jazzy-detective themed backdrop. It’s an engaging, original canvas that Israel gets to sing amongst. They immediately switch gears with “Too Hard, Too Fast,” which has a more conventional rock structure. The music veers towards classic rock but the reverb soaked vocals make it end sounding more aligned with shoegaze. “S'enfuir” is exceptional and sung in French. It revolves around a guitar, atmosphere and Israel’s vocals. It’s so lucid it starts to become hypnotic.

I can say with certainty that “Trust Me” is the catchiest song on the album. The vocals are downright infectious and you might not be human if you can resist the poppy goodness of the chorus. As the album progresses the band delivers song after song. There weren't any duds but I did have a couple of favorites, which included “I’m 28” and closer “If I Could.”

I wouldn’t say that this band is reinventing the wheel but they do have an original sound and make some great music. Chasing Shadows is also a success because of how it flows. There is an energy that you feel when you play it from the beginning without skipping any tracks. Sequencing is an important part of an album that I unfortunately think has been lost due to services like Spotify and iTunes but The Lost Patrol hasn't seemed to forget that order in which songs are played matters. Do yourself a favor and put aside a little bit of time and listen to Chasing Shadows as it was intended.

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