Pressure

One falls hard for "Slipping," a whopping track of ‘60s psychedelia, ‘90s space rock, and ‘80s shoegaze's catchy, cooing vocals and billowing textures. One gets lost in its booming tom toms, flashing Ride guitars, choral backing vocals, and crescendoing feedback leads. There're tantalizingly similar snatches elsewhere on Lannon's analog-mixed second LP (following 2004's scenes from a breakup Chemical Friends, as N. Lannon), but the singer/songwriter's heart is more often in Elliott Smith-worshipping acoustic folk-pop. Indeed, he sounds like a virtual clone (even in voice) on "Did I Lose You," "Lost in the Stars," "The Well Groomed Man," etc. But surprisingly, his wonderful writing, convivial harmonies, affecting voice, and unpredictable song-structure/arrangements are comparable. He further shares Smith's lyrical air of foreboding doubt, regret, longing, and darkness, albeit with less foreseeable crash and burn — whereas the louder, epic moments have some of George Harrison's All Things Must Pass Eastern influences, with warm ‘n' weary vocals and ascending guitar breaks. Elements of shivering, lunar hover soundtracks ("River") and Ian Masters' post-Pale Saints electronica-pop make for variety, too. Overall, the too-little heralded Lannon has made one of those remarkable LPs that casts you adrift in its thick ambiance-belying subtle tunes. You're deliciously trapped.