Lost On Liftoff

It's rock and roll for the children of the me generation. Where our parents' rock was full of bravado and chick-bagging, today we get giant walls of sound buffeting us with admissions like "I'm the one that failed you." "Maybe You're Right" is a terrific tune of self-awareness, opening with a warm glow of understanding guitars and finishing with a chorus that's emotionally wide open: "It makes me feel that there's something wrong/There's no need to fight."

Back in the 1980s, this kind of thing was done with synthesizers, rhinestones, and really bad haircuts (okay, everyone's hair was bad in the '80s), as proven by the wonderfully apropos "Don't Change" cover that comes at song 12 here. The INXS track was originally released in 1982, with Michael Hutchence and company's horribly named Shabooh Shoobah (really, what drugs were they on?), and was the kind of track that iTunes will say is similar to "In a Big Country" or World Party. But Lost on Liftoff completely own it, and with lyrics like "Don't change for you/Don't change a thing for me," you'd never know they didn't write it along with the other 12 songs of loves lost, found, and somewhere in between.

And how many of their fans were even alive in 1982?

Speaking of fans, those of Lost on Liftoff's self-titled debut EP of early 2006 will get a little deja vu from the inclusion of "40 Miles" and "Naked and Wasted" here, but it should be a pleasant experience. Both are among the best singles I've heard on the local scene in the past five years (LoL frontman Walt Craven e-mailed me "40 Miles" in 2005 and it got about 500 plays in the Phoenix offices before the band had even played a show).

The new single, "Learning How to Say Goodbye," lives up to those high standards. Shane Kinney opens the track with martial drums above ambient guitars and behind Craven's vocals: "You know I can't take this anymore/Things we know but we could not change/I shouldn't promise you anything, and everything." The chorus, "For the rest of our lives, we'll remember this moment," makes me wonder when rock has ever been this nostalgic, this vulnerable.

Even Steven Tyler's "Sweet Emotion" was a "backstage lover, set your pants on fire."

"Witness Protection Program" seems to sum up Lost on Liftoff's sound fairly succinctly, with its "waves that crash around you." The guitars are always so on, Craven paired with Nick Lambert, who does a lot of the writing, and the drums are always so open, like you could live inside them, that the result is often that feeling like you just stood up after body-surfing, turned around, and got belted in the face with a wave you didn't see coming. You're not scared, because you know the ocean floor is right under your feet somewhere, but you're totally disoriented in a pleasant weightlessness. "What if we could fall into the open atmosphere?," Craven wonders. Well, exactly.

But 13 singles don't make an album. Luckily, Lost on Liftoff provide a fulcrum with the five-minute-plus "I Can Hear You in Stereo" as track seven, a collection of movements, the first a kind of underwater ballad ending with a closely mic'd Craven getting all quiet before a crescendo into the chorus. The "stereo" is reflected in the echoing of the vocals in the verses (and the echoing of Headstart!'s "Boy Who Died in Stereo"). They switch gears again later, with track 10's "You Idiot" featuring a spoken vocal style from Craven you haven't heard before, and an indie rock vibe like the Essex Green on steroids.

An upbeat record that never sounds manic, a thoughtful record that never gets sappy, Mixtape Blackouts is surprising while delivering everything you'd expect of a band with Lost on Liftoff's pedigree. "Goodbye Summertime"? No. Summer's just starting.


Argument

Lost on Liftoff is by no means an inexperienced band but rather a musical entity that came together after the band members previous projects ended. Singer Walt Craven used to cut his teeth in 6gig, Nick Lambert and Dan Walsh were a formidable force in Chaos Twin while Shane Kinney played with Broken Clown. The bands experience shows in their music as they are able to write hook laden rock songs with a mature edge. With an EP and a brand new full length under their belt, Lost on Liftoff look like they are ready to conquer more than their native Portland, Maine.

The bands ever increasing fan base realise that they are witnessing the rise of a potential headlining act and have embraced them. Lost on Liftoff currently cater to roughly 3,000 myspace friends and are pushing 80,000 plays. With their full length debut, “Mixtape Blackouts”, just released the band is looking to promote the album by touring in support of it. The album, as well as the bands EP, was released on a small indie label called Labor Day Records, which is based in New Hampshire, so you will probably have to use the power of the internet to get your hands on them.


Possible Labels

I personally think that Lost on Liftoff have a big enough sound to fill arenas so I would recommend that a major label take a chance on them. This might be thinking big but the band has the right quality and depth of music to release complete albums that would have radio appeal and substance.

So when thinking of major record labels which would be the best fit for Lost on Liftoff? Well there are only four options; EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner. Any of these labels would be able to help the band with their current distribution limitations but when I narrow it down I think Warner would be the best fit. This is due to Warner’s track record of picking out good rock bands (Green Day, My Chemical Romance) after they have put out a few good albums and then turning them into superstars. If all else fails I would recommend that one of these labels signs Lost on Liftoff to a demo deal just to hear them and to see what they can do with some guidance.


Links  

Official Webpage  

Official myspace Page  

Official Purevolume Page


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