Leftovers: a word we use daily and don’t even give the right value to. From the shampoo that is almost used up to the water, we want to save in order to do the thousand and one daily activities, or even the food that is put aside for our pets.
It seems like just a set of letters, but it has immense meaning in our lives and in those around us.
There is always someone who needs something that we have and that to us may not mean much, but to them, it could be the world.
Today, for lack of words, music and creativity fills our hearts. We crossed the Atlantic and went to Montréal, Canada. Meet Le Ren and their first full-length album.
LEFTOVERS
Raised in Bowen Island, British Columbia, Lauren Spear grew up in a secluded environment outside the usual city setting, which is beautifully and naturally demonstrated in every song she presents.
With almost divine inspirations that go by Bob Dylan, Neil Young or John Prine, Le Ren is exactly what we needed to be happy: a dose of reality, spread by an angelic folk and a voice that promises to enchant anyone who listens to her.
And we feel it. We feel Joni Mitchell, Sufjan Stevens, Joan Baez, Devendra Banhart, Fleet Foxes, Lana del Rey and a bit of Ellie Rowsell (Wolf Alice), without the guitars that characterise the British band so well.
Leftovers is the artist’s first album, with thirty-three minutes of pure art.
The last sixteen years of our lives have passed us by in the blink of an eye. We
“Take On Me” may be a hit by Danish band A-ha, but here we leave the comic and all its magic for a soul-guiding voice. It doesn’t take many fireworks to make an incredible song, and here’s an example of that.
Pulling us in, we have “Dyan”, a tribute from the artist to her mother with the same name as the song, showing that she is connected to her always, regardless of everything going on in our world – especially during the pandemic and all the distance that was created by a damn virus. And the reality is that we can transpose this to our own lives, and how important ours are and how they seem to always be there with us, no matter what. And Le Ren goes on to sing this to us as if it’s a story. And it’s very beautiful, really.
We move on to “Was I Not Enough” and “I Already Love You”. Tugging at our feelings, the songs write about the future and an eventual child – while the music video presents images of the artist with her mother, and the love and complicity this brings. Happiness unfolds in song, in such an angelic way that we feel like crying with joy.
More Country-Pop, we have “Who’s Going To Hold Me Next?” and “Your Cup”. Vocals in unison, a classic guitar that could very well be present in our favourite series and much, much feeling to the mix.
With Tenci in the mix, we listen to “Annabelle & MaryAnne”. We are reminded of Leonard Cohen – and the reality is that the whole ensemble seems to be in the right place at the right time. It’s extremely beautiful.
Closing, we have “Willow”, “Friends Are Miracles” and “May Hard Times Pass Us By”, three songs that look after us like a real helping hand.
Le Ren brought us Leftovers. And it is with this album that we are reminded of how important our lives and all those around us are. That song that was missing to characterize that special moment will certainly be retained in the angelic words of the Canadian artist. A WtMM recommendation.
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