Share the Load

EXCLUSIVE! RECOMMENDED! LIMITED! In 1999 post-rock outfit Lorelei split, spinning off into two forward thinking projects. Bass player Stephen Gardner formed Chessie, while guitarist Matthew Dingee assembled LU. LU has found a niche between avant garde exploration and post-punk firepower. Still eschewing lyrics in favor of intricate guitar and keyboard melodies, "Share the Load," their second full-length release, transpires in movements. The first three tracks could each be singles in their own right. In fact, "A La Casa" was culled for Teenbeat Records' 2004 sampler. The next three tracks slow the tempo and darken the mood with dub-influenced reverbs and negative space. Then it's a return to a bump and grind mix of metronomic rhythms and angular guitar, suggesting a perforated future threatening to tear itself apart. On the whole, "Share the Load" is more contemplative and exploratory than LU's debut. It is road trip music for the rail commuter; liberation doled out one station stop at a time; furniture music taken outside of the house.