Vide Noir

While the folk-essence lies below and often comes through in its truest form, the developments are clear and passionately welcomed all across Vide Noir. Where a band like Mumford & Sons abandoned ship from their beginnings to a mixed result, it sounds like Lord Huron have managed to evolve forward incorporating electric elements in a major way without forfeiting any kind of integrity.

Vide Noir lacks the pop-fueled-pining-for-love heard in previous singles such "Fool For Love" from the critically acclaimed 2015 album Strange Trails. But that's ok! The experimental divergence demonstrates the band's musical versatility and creative strengths.

Some may find it all a bit too intense, while long-term fans may be put off by the departure of their earlier, more pastoral sound. However, their ambition cannot be faulted, and when it comes time to look back on the band’s career, Vide Noir could be seen as a pivotal moment.

Even when the concept stumbles, parts of Vide Noir are pretty enjoyable listening anyway, like the flecks of psychedelic guitar across the title track and the filigree detail and sensual current of “Moonbeam.”

Vide Noir is easily the band's most musically striking release to date. How much of that is on Fridmann (who mixed the album) is hard to tell, but he's clearly an influence.

Vide Noir unspools with cinematic seamlessness, as quicksilver psychedelic buffers bridge its 12 tracks, which shift between folk, country and heartland rock. [Jun 2018, p.30]