Lemonwilde released their debut EP Red Room from Los Angeles, but the band is rooted right here in singer Joe Murray's hometown of Madison. As their debut spreads through the Internet's wide world of music, listeners will find something eerily reminiscent of Radiohead but with a twist of hard rock. The result is something hard to listen to if you're leisurely walking down the street, yet gripping enough to force its way onto your playlist with regularity.
""Just This Ashtray"" begins with swirling electronic effects coming straight from Portishead's Third. Even the low mutterings of Murray sound as foreboding as Beth Gibbon, but when forceful guitars and lyrics repeating, ""Say goodbye to this romance / Cause I no longer need you,"" enter the chorus, Lemonwilde puts their own stamp on this song and makes a lasting first impression.
The best part of Red Room is its natural progression. Not only does each track transition well musically, but the lyrics also take you on a 21-minute rollercoaster of a relationship.
After the initial separation of the couple in the opening song, ""Finding Jesus in Math"" contains slight optimism and hope toward a brighter future following the turmoil of the first song. Slightly more up-tempo and assertive than the previous track, it indicates less reflection as the confused lover moves on. But as the song develops, Murray and the music become tightly wound up, eventually resorting to reassurance by repeatedly exclaiming ""No, I'm not afraid."" After this climax of anxiety, the track unwinds itself with electronic noises slowly peeling away until nothing is left.
Another seamless transition leads into the soft piano opening of ""Danse."" Once this song gets going, comparisons to Radiohead are bound to come up if they haven't already. Murray's swirling, siren-like voice through the wordless chorus is as ghostly as anything on OK Computer.
""Inspired Painter"" brings the most emotional force, both musically and lyrically, out of the five tracks. At this point in the album, the narrator is repenting to a now-unrequited lover. Throughout the track, the sporadic snare and hi-hat cymbal perfectly represent the excited, yet depressed angst that Murray's delivery progresses to. All while the lyrics maintain the same feel by becoming stuck lamenting ""Poison yourself Romeo / Kill yourself tonight / The love that you've been beggin' for / Is gone, gone, gone."" Although these lyrics may seem corny, they demand sympathy through the song's emotionally raw delivery.
The last track, ""Nondeterministic Automation,"" feels like a relaxing breath of fresh air as it stands as the contemplative conclusion to the love story. Only getting slightly worked up for the chorus, it allows listeners to gather their thoughts and recover from the rollercoaster of emotion the first four tracks provide.
To put it simply, Red Room is far more cohesive and focused than any listener could hope for on a debut EP. In fact, it's so unified and consistent that, after listening to it straight through, it is hard not to wonder what Lemonwilde could follow up with. More importantly, will they be able to create a sound and focus to satisfy listeners over the course of a full-length LP? But whatever Lemonwilde has planned, one thing is easy to understand: A debut providing this much depth and raising this many questions about their future is already something to be proud of.
