Lavender Diamond: The Cavalry of Light (Self-Released, 2005)
Lavender_diamond_1Lavender Diamond recorded this 4-song EP over a year ago, but it's never too late to review something so ear-catching and relevant as this band has become. Over the past year Becky Stark and her talented minstrels have played L.A.'s Arthurfest, Arthurball, and performed numerous shows and residencies all over Los Angeles. This introductory CD is strong, original, and emanates a super-positive vibe over the entire sixteen minutes. Every song has this melancholic and endearing quality that brings to mind The Carpenters and Linda Ronstadt as Becky Stark belts out anthems of love and happiness. The opening track 'You Broke My Heart' is a triumphant ballad that hints at sadness but is musically joyful and positive with it's thumping drums and melodic chorus. 'In Heaven There is No Heat' reminded me of when I first watched Peter, Paul, & Mary sing on PBS as a child. The Cavalry of Light EP is a must-have for music fans looking for something more inspiring than your typical L.A. rock.
Rating: Strong
Rarely does a self-released demo CD garner the attention and praise that Lavender Diamond’s The Cavalry of Light has this year. Based in Los Angeles, Lavender Diamond is a meeting of disparate yet surprising cohesive creative forces: front women Becky Stark, guitarist Jeff Rosenberg (of Tarentel and Young People fame), keyboardist Steve Gregoropolous and percussionist/established visual artist Ron Rege Jr. In contrast to Rosenberg's prior noise-filled endeavors, and even to Stark’s sparse and spooky solo work, Lavender Diamond make lush, straightforward chamber/folk-pop that manages to stay just this side of saccharine, basking in confidence and sunny melodies. The four-track, 16-minute The Cavalry... has catapulted Lavender Diamond to the forefront of LA's folk scene, earning them a spot at ArthurFest, and opening slots for everyone from Scout Niblett to Deerhoof.
Opener and standout track “You Broke My Heart” showcases Stark’s voice above a staccato piano line, mild acoustic guitar, and pounding drums. As Stark’s register goes higher and higher, the music remains understated in the background, content to let Stark carry the song. The fleshed out arrangements, which often include a four-piece string band, suit Stark’s voice to a tee, bringing out a vaudeville quality that might not exist in separate circumstances.
Lavender Diamond could easily draw comparisons to a number of AM-radio mainstays: Shirley Collins, the Carpenters, Joni Mitchell. “Please” in particular sounds out of time; its waltzing piano and warm strings sound nostalgic without sounding retro, a feat accomplished in large part by Ms. Stark’s delivery, which could stand up to any of her aforementioned predecessors. A large claim, to be sure, but that is just the sort thing The Cavalry of Light hints at.
“In Heaven There is No Heat” is the closest thing on The Cavalry... to Stark’s solo work, and the only vaguely psychedelic moment on the record. Where alone Stark would be content to repeat the song’s title ad infinitum in verse, here the song moves into the biggest and catchiest chorus on the record. While lyrics like “Dream the kind of life you will find, the kind of love that lasts forever” sound cliche on paper, the earnestness of Stark’s vocals and the no-frills accompaniment of her band are truly engaging, if not a little refreshing.
The pastoral “Rise in the Springtime” brings the disc to a close with a British-folk flavored mini-epic, ending with a buildup of marching drums and swirling strings. As Stark repeats “We rise... We rise,” one can’t help but think it might just be prophetic. Lavender Diamond has the potential to woo the world.
By Jon Pitt
Review by MacKenzie Wilson
The pop side of indie rock, as we know it in 2006, is defined by the lovely folk pop leanings of Sufjan Stevens and Joanna Newsom; with their tender-hearted wit and impeccable talent for composing some of the decade's most ambitious work, they've made indie music for a second generation. They're overachievers in the most charming way, kind of like that kid in high school who liked the Smiths, worshipped Jack Kerouac, and graduated valedictorian. Newcomer Becky Stark is one of those too, and as the vocalist for the Los Angeles-based Lavender Diamond, she will make you a believer just as Stevens and Newsom have done. But Stark will do it with grace, just as her influences (Linda Ronstadt, Carole King) did before her. The songs found on The Calvary of Light EP come alive as if it was recorded in the 1970s, flowing with illustrious string arrangements, sepia-toned acoustic guitars, and soft piano-driven melodies, resonating the simple touch and perfect beauty of Karen Dalton, Emmylou Harris, and the Band. Stark's lilting performance on songs such as "Please" and "Rise in the Springtime" showcase how true and real Stark is to her craft. As a vocalist, no one would ever accuse her of trying too hard, for it's Stark poetic-blend of rich lyrical reflections that make this a beautiful introduction to Lavender Diamond. Just one listen to the blissful country-folk tinges of "You Broke My Heart," and Lavender Diamond will have you daydreaming of those idyllic moments where love seemed too good to be true.
Lavender Diamond
The Cavalry of Light EP
[self-released; 2005; r: Matador/Rough Trade; 2007]
Rating: 7.7
In the run-up to the group's European tour with the Decemberists and the pending spring release of their Matador debut, Imagine Our Love, Lavender Diamond's 2005 EP has been re-released. This four-track, 16-minute folk collection is the culmination of several years of singer Becky Stark's collaborations with guitarist Jeff Rosenberg (also of the Young People), pianist Steve Gregoropoulos (W.A.C.O.), and drummer Ron Rege, formerly of the Swirlies. For Stark, who launched her performing career as the star of the touring punk operetta Bird Songs of the Bauharoque, Lavender Diamond provides an arena for the songwriter's post-operetta solo directions.
The Cavalry of Light showcases Stark's impressive range as both a composer and a vocalist. While never straying from a 1960s foundation of guitar, piano, tambourine, and punchy drums, Stark's vocals convey a range of force-- at times an airy, cloyingly sweet modern twist of yesterfolk nostalgia (as on balladic love song "Please") and at others a unharnessed mystical interpretation of oft-recycled folk themes.
"In Heaven There Is No Heat" is this EP's most adventurous moment. Although its structure seems ready-made-- with a kickdrum and 2/2 guitar ditty that give rise to a loud, bright, friendly chorus-- Stark's vocals provide a surprising, coolly lit counterpoint. Her high soprano works playful yet achy magic around her winding lyrical path: "In heaven there is no heat/ In sorrow there is no rhyme." The chorus provides the rumbling, focused security: "Dream the kind of a life that you will find/ The kind of love that lasts forever." There are no transitions or bridges between these two moods, and by way of this contrast, the song succeeds and sticks.
Even better is the epic "You Broke My Heart", a solid march within the EP's close-to-the-hearth recording environment. Here, Stark's vocals resound with the strength of a singer quite apart-- though not stylistically-- from the one who appears elsewhere on the EP. Operatic and mesmerizing, Stark retains her seamless and clear soprano. But the heavy instrumental accompaniment and song's subject provide fuel for boundless one-upmanship. As a standalone track, "You Broke My Heart" announces Stark's virtuosity, but the three tracks following it are a positive reinforcement of the singer's welcome, novel addition to a crowded scene.
-Liz Colville, February 26, 2007
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