Brooklyn duo Lushes' – singer/guitarist James Ardery and drummer Joel Myers' – second album 'Service Industry' is a woefully wonderful affair. The pair make a plea for you to quit your job in an record that they describe as "a rollercoaster through the maze of modern living."
Sounding something like a turbulent marriage between Joy Division and early Syd Barrett – the album was recorded and mixed by Sonic Youth's long time engineer Aaron Mullan at Echo Canyon during a period of intense money, work and life stress.
The opener, 'Low Hanging Fruit', is a moody, sombre, yet hypnotic offering with an ominous bass line. The apathetic, sparse, wallowing and purposefully lo-fi arrangements continue through the next few tracks – 'Bleach' and 'Auction', before a break from the norm with the acoustic 'Rub Your Eyes.'
The intense crescendo that's played out in the track 'Circus' is accompanied by a video of synonymous intensity with inverted colors and jerky camera movements. This track is immediately contradicted by the sweet, melodic sentiments of 'Hyperaware.'
As the band explain, the album's unusual sound came out of the tension between the duo – with Ardery having grown up listening to punk and rap, whereas Myers was raised on a diet of classical music. Luckily, this musical conflict pays off with a deeply haunting, sombre and interesting record that echoes comical undertones throughout.
7/10
Words: Lizzie Goodman
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