Search - Lungfish :: Love Is Love

One of (if not *THE*) best Lungfish albums

nondualbliss | Salt Lake City, UT USA | 10/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Lungfish sound: repetitive, hypnotic, layered, at times monotonous (but never boring). Many people struggle with the looping nature of Lungfish's guitar riffs. Others, however, find it remarkable that the Lungfish sound remains both simplistic yet rich and complex all at the same time.Love is Love, the band's tenth album, remains true to the path they've been following for the past fifteen years, yet on this latest album, they've acually managed to perfect their own sound (if that's possible). This album marks the return of former bassist Sean Meadows (June of 44) which is good considering the chemistry he seems to have with the other band members. Love is Love, as an album, is more straight-forward and less experimental than previous releases (harking back to their "Talking Songs for Walking" days). From the driving rhythms of the title track, the haunting starkness of 'This World', to the crazy poetry that only Dan Higgs can deliver ("I will sing a song before I was born!"), Love is Love is probably the most straight-up rock record this highly unconventional rock band has made in their long career. It comes highly recommended."

Lungfish continue evolving, continue growing,

W. P. Melton | 07/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For some people, the title may seem like an oxymoron. How can a band whose songs always consist of one riff, one beat, one rhythm repeated over and over again experience growth? But that's missing the point.



Just as the Ramones boiled the rock song down to it's best, most appealing aspects, and threw out any fat, self-indulgence or unnecessary musical pyrotechnics; so does Lungfish dismantle rock further, taking only the most essential musical elements to deliver their message. On this release and on all their previous releases, they continue to refine this approach, chipping away any remaining excess until they are left with the pure, unadultered essence of their songs. This, for me at least, is what makes them so poignant and powerful.



Asa is probably the best guitarist of this generation, his riffs are beautiful, seductive, some say hypnotic, using at most 8 bars to deliver his message, he sees no need to expand upon it. They are like aphorisms repeated over and over as one repeats a mantra. The rhythm section operates like clockwork, unoppressive, but unceasing while Dan Higgs delivers his prophetic, revelrous, and revelatory verses of love, doom, and epiphany.



Lungfish continue to walk their own path, as it becomes clearer and more focused, those that share their vision get to follow them along and enjoy the sights and sounds. Those that don't, well, sufficed to say, it's pointless to argue about it. You tend to either love Lungfish or not care for them, and it's nigh impossible to convince one of the other."

Beautiful

Jason Nelson | Cedar Falls, Iowa United States | 11/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I keep hearing people say that all of Lungfish's records sound the same. I have to disagree, but I can understand why people might come to this conclusion. With Lungfish you have to listen closely. Experiencing a Lunfish record for the first time can be disorienting, and I think that's the point to some degree. All of their albums may have similiar traits, but they all offer something new as well. With Love Is Love, they've made even more changes than in the past. There seems to be more of a pop influence running through the songs, which is done very well, and works better than I would have imagined. This album also has more moments that remind me of Fugazi in some ways. Just little things here and there, like a guitar tone, or drum beat. I have to admit that it always takes a few listens for me to fully appreciate Lunfish songs, and these new songs took about a week worth of listening to sink in, but once they did I was hooked. Now this is probably my favorite Lungfish record. Yes, the songs are repetitive, and Dan's singing is still very close to how he's always sang in Lungfish, but it's the same band, and they have a sound. Luckily, for all of us, they're still perfecting the Lungfish sound. I recommend giving this record a chance, try it on for a while, see how it feels once it's worn in a bit. I think you'll be glad you did."