Enter into a world of the west, a world of stars and magic, and a place beyond time and space. Lord Huron is a band that will take you out of this world. With a discography of 4 concept albums, the world of Lord Huron is really an escape, they have created a whole universe of their own, the lore of their lyrics traces miles of lives and stories. The first of their ethereal albums is Lonesome Dreams, preceded only by a few EPs of equal splendor. After Lonesome Dreams comes Strange Trails, Vide Noir, and then their most recent album Long Lost Lonesome Dreams sets the lonely cowboy scene with an album of lovesickness and western despair. The album starts with Ends of the Earth, one of the most well-known Lord Huron songs, and the song that sparked my love for the band. The song is accompanied by the most existential music video imaginable, a story of
love and the true end of the Earth. From here, the motifs of desert, skeletons, and undying love begin, which will continue throughout the rest of their albums as the songs flow into the next and the next. Notable tracks on this album include She Lit a Fire and Ghost of the Shore. Following that album is Strange Trails, and my favorite Lord Huron story. The tale touches upon a man who fights for the love of his life in Fool for Love, loses it, and explores his rage in The World Ender. This sadness is combated in Louisa, my favorite Lord Huron song
where the protagonist, later revealed to be “Buck” in the movie Vide Noir, comes back from the dead for his love. The lyrics in this song express the desperation of true love and how when one loves deep enough, they can rise from the grave for their wildflower love. The betrayal
of love is then introduced in the track, The Night We Met, which is arguably the best-known, and most widely loved Lord Huron Song, due to its presence in the hit show 13 Reasons Why. This album explores a life where one’s true goal is to win the favor of their love, which takes them on a journey through the mountains, desert, and vastness of the unknown. Next in Lord Huron chronology comes Vide Noir, for which their film is named. This album explores the corners and voids of the mind which can only be accessed through the use of a magical d rug, known as Vide Noir. The relative plot of both things includes a man who journeys across the west to find his love who left him to sing in California. In his journeys, he fights those who attempt to “black brain” him to death, or overdose him on Vide Noir. The ethereal sound of Lost in Time and Space is contrasted by the heavy rock explosion of Ancient Names Pt. II. Long Lost follows this album, and gives stories of simultaneous loss of love, and untouchable mates from alternate universes. Still set in the west, the surf/desert guitar in this album is unmatched and encapsulated wanderlust better than anything else I have experienced in my life. Long Lost arguably is the most cohesive Lord Huron album, with infixes of recordings from the host of their live recording show, Alive From Whispering Pines. This gives sounds seemingly from a radio talk show host, as he introduces and reviews the songs and artists. Long Lost also contains a 12-minute psychedelic instrumental song, entitled Times Blur, which is the perfect song to fall asleep to. In all, Lord Huron has lore so deep, there are songs released under the names of characters appearing in their album-based stories, including figures like Frankie Lou, a dead bar singer appearing in Vide Noir and helping Buck on his journey to his love.
The Band is led by Ben Schneider who writes most of their songs. He is a cowboy hat-bearing man who dons a skull mask when singing World Ender from Strange Trails on stage. Schneider is joined by Mark Barry on drums, Miguel Briseño on bass, and Tom Renaud on guitar. I had the incredible opportunity to see them live over the summer with my co-host DJ River. It was the most out-of-this-world night of my life, the desert-esque set and colorful lights encapsulated the magic of their music with perfect accuracy. They even had the ‘emerald star’ image from their Vide Noir album cover shine down as they played songs from that storyline. The concert was so cohesive from a musical standpoint and the supra-universal was supported by the concert being situated in historic Massey Hall in Toronto. Lord Huron is a band beyond what this world can give us. There is a western charm to their music that inherently suggests that it was truly written by a gang of ghosts coming back from chasing their lost love. Tales of fortune tellers, runaway wildflowers, and the cold desert nights are supported by ethereal vocals and twangy guitar. Lord Huron, you have my heart.
Rachael Lanning (aka DJ Ray) is WUSC Program Director and cohost of Rustic Radio, on-air Wednesdays 8-10pm. Rachael is the one to go to for all things schedule, access, and station clerical work related. She also works closely with DJ training and is happy to help baby DJs with anything they need. Rachael has been a DJ with WUSC since the first semester of her freshman year, and doubtlessly has lots of love for the University of South Carolina DJs. Her favorite things include, COFFEE, folk and alt. rock music, and dancing/yoga, if any of those things are occurring outdoors, she loves it even more. Feel free to reach out to Rachael for anything WUSC related!