The ChiLLs by Lazy Lane

Armed with Aaron Richardson on electric bass and Aaron Simmons on drums,

Lily Lane (vocalist/keyboardist) unveils a diary of demented fairytales and frightening synthesizer sounds. The accompaniment of the guitar mastermind Greg Ballato fused with Lily's haunting vocals and synths creates an aura that will seize the your mind and take you on a psychotic trip through worlds of darkness and illusion.

Masters of improvisation and psychedelic mayhem, Lazy Lane mesmerizes the audience and captivates the listener, while vintage guitars, turntables & synthesizers illustrate Lazy Lane has...no boundaries.

REVIEW by Valery Gore of Absolute Divas Independent Music:

With the creeping opening words and trance-like waltz of 'The Girl Upstairs", Lazy Lane shyly but candidly invites you into the creeking floorboards, rustling front yard oak trees, thunder and lightning evening surrounding this attic-like collection of songs. On the band's debut full length album "The Chills", it's as though the secret to every uncanny mystery you have pondered in your waking nightmares is about to be told through a dark-haired, dark-eyed young woman who carries the wisdom of an old soul.

Settled in Pittsburgh, PA, this murky ensemble creates a desperation and longing sound that is reminiscent of Mazzy Star. There's something to be said about the value of simplicity if it is presented in a dramatic way. For Lazy Lane the simplicity lies in the songs' lyrical dynamics, rhyming patterns and thematics. The very relevant is coated in the sultry and calming vocals and the complexity of the band's overall musicianship.

Once invited into this stratum of spooks, the track "Sleepyville Creepshow" takes you back to your high school dance, only now everyone's been in that "Car Accident Where The Road Bends" and have returned as zombies, shifting from one foot to the other. With methodic interludes and eerie Halloween synthesizer muses, this track definitely meets the expectations that track one sets.

"Eraser" is a catchy track with a sing-a-long hook and a memorable chorus. The vocal layers on the entire album are incredible, as though you are coming back from the world of amnesia. Such a traumatic experience would beg the Doors influenced track "Waking Up Buttercup" as theme music. The hospital room comes to light with Lily Lane, chirping birds, and a warm toned guitar, encouraging you to "Wake up". The clever assembling of the album leads you into the next track, lyrics venturing, "I open my eyes to the sky".

Creating a sound familiar yet original, Greg Ballato (guitars, turntables), Aaron Richardson (bass), Nathan Ballato (drums) and Lily Lane (also on synthesizers) branch out to many demographics. It is obvious that the same broadness goes for their influences.

In my favour, the second highlight of the album is the end track "Malaysian Dream Doll". The playful melodies and dreamy landscape would be the sound escaping the teary-eyed funeral of Mazzy Star's death. It is much like Hope Sandoval's "Suzanne" off Bavarian Fruit Bread, but I don't mind this time. It's simply the ears receiving more of a very good thing.

8/26/03 VENUSZINE

The ChiLLs (self-released)

by Andrea Benvenuto

Taking a stroll down Lazy Lane is like casually cutting through your friendly neighborhood cemetery. The landscaping is quietly pretty, the headstones are majestic yet sad, and oh yeah, you're just a little freaked out. Could it be that black cat lurking nearby? Their debut 7-inch was called Sea Witch and now, for its first full-length album, the Pittsburgh-based band gives us The ChiLLs. Literally.

Song titles like "Sleepyville Creepshow" and "Poltergeist" seal the deal -- the Lane is a spooky place to be. Even "Waking Up Buttercup" is a downer. Then again, the facetiously optimistic "Always Tomorrow" is one of their best tracks. And even at her most tragically heartbroken, singer Lily Lane's voice is so very lovely. Just try not to melt when she sings the chorus to "Eraser."

Lane sounds a lot like Hope Sandoval, but Mazzy Star hasn't had an album since 1996, and besides, Lazy Lane is more suitable for darker moods. Some of The ChiLLs is so somber and dreamy it sounds like it belongs on the Virgin Suicides soundtrack. Credit Lane's band mates with skillfully complementing her keyboards, vocals and lyrics. On the album's opener, she touts herself as "the girl upstairs/ inviting you into her lair." She's definitely not the girl next door. But you might find yourself with a new crush. And if you pay her a visit, she promises to get out her Ouija board. No joke.

Starvox Review:

"I am a total sucker for bands that take seemingly disparate genres and blend them together. In the case of Lazy Lane, a small indie group that lurks on the fringes of Pittsburgh's scene, the elements of psychedelia, folk, shoegaze, and Goth collide beautifully. This debut CD definitely stands out when compared to the stacks of promos I have received so far this year.

Lead by the smoky vocals of Lily Lane, her voice resembles that of Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star) and Alison Shaw (Cranes). Her playful yet wry vocals elicit a slight waywardness and veiled sensuality. The lyrics read like stark, demented faerie tales, the mood further accentuated by the dreamlike voice that delivers them. This kind of nursery rhyme vibe usually turns me off (Switchblade Symphony springs to mind!) but the mood of Lazy Lane is a surreal and mature kind of dementia and I was easily drawn into their murky world of mischief.

The music is a seething blend of The Doors and The Bad Seeds; the Cranes and Mazzy Star. A nice variety of guitar work is used, ranging from strummed acoustics, watery leads, and swelling ebow wails. The bass lines are at times, under cut with a free form jazz technique as well as a straightforward post punk strum. The production is damn good for an independent band, and the entire disc is awash with a feverish and fuzzy reverb that only further enhances it's vintage feel.

"Waking Up Buttercup" is probably my favourite track, (Hah! You guessed it; it is the darkest one!), the song swirls around a brooding bass line, bluesy guitars, an ominous church organ drone, with Lily's pouty vocals capping it all off. Tribal drums and an eerie flute passage provide a stark break between the verses, and then back to the plodding gloom reminiscent of the darkest moments of The Doors and Syd Barret era Floyd. The only contemporary band I could even think of comparing these guys to are Babylonian Tiles, but even that is a bit of an injustice as Lazy Lane holds their own wonderfully.

Another track that stands out especially is the thoroughly amusing "Black Cat," with its swinging rhythmic strut and frisky vocals. Kind of like if "Love Cats" wasn't so overtly manic, this is like the Munster's Halloween psychedelic jazz party! Again, I am not too easily sold on this kind of tongue-in-cheek stuff, but this is just so irresistibly catchy, and it features an awesome explosion of guitar work worthy of Robby Krieger himself toward the end of the song. Perky Goths® will dig this immensely, but this particular gloomy Goth liked it just fine.

This is definitely a band to watch. Check out their Mp3 site at the link below, especially if you are a fan of stuff like Mazzy Star, Mojave 3, the Cranes, and other forms of dark psychedelia.

- Matthew - Starvox.net

Average Customer Review: