‘Indian Summer’ is electro-acoustic band AUBURN'S latest album, their last having arrived way back in the mists of 2003. The long gap between the two has clearly paid off, as this is a near faultless CD which brings together ten tracks that cross genres and styles yet still manages to sound unique.
The band was formed in 1999 by singer songwriter Liz Lenten who has a brilliant voice and a nice line in lyric writing. Liz decided that she wanted to stop touring to concentrate on other musical work while her son was at school.
Well, the good news is that the band’s back with a really good album that should appeal to long term fans and interested listeners alike. Aside from that, any album which quotes Hunter S. Thompson on the inside cover has certainly got its priorities right. The quote in question is “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a ride!”
The album seems to take this as its mantra, the first track being the rather marvellous ‘Shame on You’, with its mixture of electric and acoustic guitar that gives the song an almost Velvet underground edge. The lyrics are all about enjoying yourself while you still can: - “Time’s running out, gotta make the most of your life/ Keep moving about, and got to get everything right/ Don’t stop to vex, you can sleep when you get old/ Use up all the best and don’t let the night grow cold.”
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This is a great opening track which would make a strong single, with Liz candidly urging the listener to: - “Smoke yourself stupid and eat all you can/ Burn your candles at both ends and have a new man.”
Following this is ‘Strong’, which starts on a completely different tack, with cellos and percussion to the fore, this is not unlike the style that Kate Bush was using on ‘Hounds of Love’, and again suits Liz’s voice perfectly: - “Only the strong survive, now that I realise/ if I want to keep breathing, feeling alive/ Only the strong survive.”
‘Day Dreamin’ is great too: a laid back summery song with a reggae bass and beat. This is all about flirting, and again would make the perfect single this summer: - “Started with a smile, I never thought much about it/ But every time you walked by, you never really tried to hide it/ You look at me for a real long time, and I’ve been trying to guess your meaning/ Did you want something of mine, or were you just day dreamin’?”
Overall this was a joyous listening experience,blending country, reggae, blues and pop styles to near-perfecttion to provide an album that has depth and feeling.
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