Album Review: Sculptor by Luluc

Australian folk duo Luluc follow-up their deeply enchanting 2014 LP Passerby with Sculptor, a largely self-produced, self-recorded set that leans out dramatically from the quiet introspection of its predecessor both in lyrical content and more cinematic sound. Now firmly entrenched in the creative enclave of Brooklyn, Melbourne natives Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett dance around the minimalist framework of their first two outings, expanding their palette with more elaborate harmonies, dark sonic textures, synths, and various experimental elements. Where Passerby seemed to examine Randall's own inner world, Sculptor pairs its more layered sonic approach with broader themes about characters navigating their way through a troubled world.

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The fleeting beauty poetically described on "Spring," the opening track on Luluc's latest album, sets the table well. Here and now, we are not only surrounded by wonder, but we are capable of conjuring it ourselves. Simultaneously, these things, yes even ourselves, are also fading. Welcome to Sculptor.

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This potential is almost fully realized in Sculptor, and the risks both instrumentally and vocally are more than justified through tracks illustrating writing talents that previously were occasionally suggested rather than exemplified. Opener "Spring" has a controlled propulsive energy, notwithstanding the pastoral imagery, and sets the tone of an album that has real vigour conveyed, for instance, by The National 's Aaron Dessner's programmed drums on "Heist", the second track. Zoe Randell's vocals convey more confidence than hitherto, enabling her to engage more assertively, in "Me and Jasper", with small town pettiness and limited aspirations, observations well reinforced by guest J.

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In 2014, Luluc struck a perfect balance on its second album Passerby, playing indie-folk music that was quiet but melodious, gentle but sturdy, and sparsely arranged but occasionally touched with a well-placed horn part or other accoutrement. Put another way: When you play quiet folk music, the songs have to be well-written and beautifully performed, because the slippery slope into Snooze Creek is always close by. And Passerby is well-written and beautifully performed through and through.

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With their third album, Sculptor, Luluc's Zoe Randall and Steve Hassett cast their characteristically serene and understated folk into a harsher, more challenging light than in the past. On 2014's Passerby, the Australian duo made peace with hard-to-swallow truths, like the ephemeral nature of life, but on Sculptor, there's an undeniable sense of uneasiness lurking beneath Randall's lyrics and a disquieting sparseness in Hassett's backing tracks. Where Passerby reached halcyon conclusions, Sculptor feels restless, transforming the album's bucolic scenery into treacherous terrain.

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