Poor Old Lu: A Picture of the Eighth Wonder (Alarma)
Following up a stellar album is no small task. Many bands have found huge success in a particular release somewhere along their way, only to return to humility after their follow up release. What's the secret? I dunno; if I did, I'd be selling it to the follow-up flop artists. But, it does seem to be rather obvious that some bands have what it takes to release another set of stellar sounds.

Upon the release of "A Picture of the Eighth Wonder", Poor Old Lu had a lot of living up to do. Their last full-length release, "Sin" was an incredible collection of songs. Sin (the album, not the unholiness before my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ) is still easily one of my favorite albums. I was actually a bit hesitant to buy this latest work by Poor Old Lu just because I feared being disappointed. Fortunately, that didn't stop me from picking it up.

Even though they remain true traits of their signature sound (like none other in either Christian or secular markets), they have again picked up and moved, musically. Perhaps they are still in the same musical neighborhood, but they are definitely not where I expected them to be. Rejecting the stagnation of remaining on a musical plateau, they have most definitely matured in most every way apparent in these 10 new songs. Initially notable is the more developed sound. The level of complexity in their music has markedly risen. Some might say that they sound a bit more reserved, even a tad depressed. I would note that Poor Old Lu has often set the tone of the music to match the lyrics. Their lyrical focus seems to have also shifted somewhat. Most of the songs deal more with down to earth themes and the music also seems to follow. If the song speaks of a tough situation, the music sounds gruffer; if of hope, the music also rises.

Overall, Poor Old Lu still comes off as a very solid band, even when they are covering uncertain ground both musically and lyrically. In a genre filled with bands who attempt to sell records by cloning the latest sound and message, these guys stick to originality and honesty. Following Poor Old Lu is a whole lot of fun. In retrospect, it's possible to pick out traits of their previous works and see how they are portrayed in their latest release, yet, overall I would have to say that during the first couple times through the music, Poor Old Lu seems to cover a lot of ground between albums.

In the Christian Modern Rock world, this is definitely one of the biggest releases of the year, even if one is not particularly fond of the band. I have a feeling that people will listen to this record well into the next couple years instead of just letting it fall by the wayside of contemporary music as the sounds continue to change. It's tough to deny such quality.

Brian Smith
BSmith5530@aol.com

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