When was the last time you heard a band that bears the name of a Hawaiian curse? Naming themselves after the book written by Hunter Thompson, London based Curse of Lono has released their debut EP on vinyl and download. Aside from giving listeners fine music, Curse of Lono offers something extra. Produced by filmmaker Alex Walker and photographer Bart Sienkiewicz, each track has a connected four-part music video dubbed, Saturday Night. Not only is Curse of Lono worth listening, their EP is worth watching as well. Their music paired with their videos are superb.
Curse of Lono opens with the track, “Five Miles.” I love the quiet Johnny Cash bass as it drives the harmonies within the song. The “Five Mile” video is exceptional, showing the realities of excessiveness and debauchery. Percussionist Neil Findley provides suitable jazz licks on the next track, “London Rain.” With the help of Dani Hernandez’s 60’s style keyboard, they take a good piece and turn “London Rain” into a paragon. Also, Hernandez produces magic with his harmonium playing the country road piece, “He Takes My Place.” It’s so simple but so fitting to the song. “Saturday Night,” the final track, is a song about sex, drugs, minus the rock & roll. The lyrics, “Don’t be sad, your mine. I’m yours, most of the time,” reverberates with me. The upright bass with fiddle work well for the ending giving “Saturday Night” an oneness to the track.
With their EP produced by Oli Bayston, it’s interesting to note the dynamics and logistics behind Curse of Lono’s new release. The band, formed by Felix Bechtolsheimer, has a baby to be proud of, especially with the creativity of mixing four connected videos within each track. They have taken quantity and replaced the album with quality. For their debut EP, it looks as though the Curse of Lono ends with Captain James Cook. I’m J.R. Miller with High Note Reviews, and this is Curse of Lono “Fallen from five miles high.”
