ALBUM REVIEW: “Lost Channels” Great Lake Swimmers

Great Lake Swimmers
Lost Channels
[Nettwerk Records]

Canada’s Great Lake Swimmers play superbly crafted and surprisingly stirring folk rock built around Tony Dekker’s gentle, expressive tenor. Lost Channels, the band’s fourth album, is a collection of diverse but uniformly strong songs with instantly hummable melodies, contemplative lyrics, and gorgeous vocal harmonies that may leave you wondering if you’re listening to a new album or a lost classic.

“Concrete Heart” and “Stealing Tomorrow” are soft, aching ballads destined to accompany heartbreaking film scenes; “Pulling on a Line” and “The Chorus in the Underground” sparkle with banjo accents; “New Light” is a lovely, haunting waltz; and “She Comes To Me In Dreams” is a twangy, irresistible rocker that’s relatively restrained on record but has the potential to be explosive when played live.

At first, this might seem like a great album to fall asleep to, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself fighting to stay awake so as not to miss the next great song.