Lake South: The Light You Throw (bandcamp)

Lake South is a Wellington-based multi-media artist: this album of a kind of folk-poetry pop-electronica comes as an insert in a 55 page A5-sized book of thoughts, lyrics, photos, talks and conversations.

He's an interesting observational writer who both celebrates and critiques (Townbelt and New Bourgoizealand which open this 12 song collection).

But at heart he has an optimistic spirit, writes about the small details in Nature and “you and I got a warm glow in our hearts” (on Charles at the Wedding).

But there's not a naivety here, he also deals with some stark realities (Anticoagulant, “I don't flick the needle before I inject”) and Dunedin is clear-eyed song-poem about that city in telling images and memories.

Lake South delivers these songs in his flattened vowel style with some cleverly memorable arrangements where he finds a place between folk-pop and light-footed electronica (horns, keyboard parts).

Lake South puts real effort into his releases (his previous album Wellington/Te Upoko O Te Ika came with a collection of postcards) and his work is certainly worth it, as witnessed by the names who add their talents here: keyboardist/singer and guitarist Vorn Colgan, Timothy Blackman on violin, Penelope Esplin on piano and backing vocals . . .

The text and images in the book support and act as a counterpoint to the music.

In Samuel he sings, “I ran up Maungawhau, I'm always running for the height and the low, decisions have put us in places with people we love. I never planned for the pace of how our cities and seasons would change . . .”

In that regard, The Light You Throw is an extension of the mood of its predecessor and in its attention to informative detail becomes very engaging.

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The Light You Throw book/CD is available from the Lake South bandcamp page here (and at selected independent book and record stores)

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