Lazy Lane
The ChiLLs (self-released)
By Andrea Benvenuto
Published: August 6th, 2003 | 8:21am
For your darkest, weepiest moods.
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.
Issue #35
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