Back when Lonesome Dreams was released in 2012, Lord Huron were still a largely unknown band. Originally a solo audio/visual project, their presence on major festival bills would quickly become a staple. Lord Huron are fuelled by some of the most evocative, nocturnal songscapes, including ‘Ghost on the Shore’ and ‘She Lit A Fire’, and some inspired publicity (each song a title from revered author George Ranger Johnson’s catalogue – a figure who didn’t exist until the band invented him).
It was a remarkable debut, sumptuous and cinematic, and these traits were clearly at the forefront of Lord Huron’s intention across this, their third album.
Yet, while Lonesome Dreams was an album of richly entwined songs that could nonetheless stand on their own, Vide Noir is more akin to their sophomore album Strange Trails. They’re still pushing their musical prowess, trying to retain the indie-folk storytelling charm and love of cinema scores, but that sense of discovery, of each song seeming its own treasure, isn’t really there.
There is still interest here – ‘When the Night is Over’, ‘Wait By the River’, ‘Emerald Star’, ‘Vide Noir’ – but it all seems a little directionless; a story in search of G.R. Johnson’s invisible touch.
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