DOWN THE LEES is a Belgium based heavy rock trio, led by gripping Canadian vox and guitarist Laura Lee Schultz. Their impassioned debut longplayer, titled ‘BURY THE SUN‘
is recorded by Chicago‘s legendary noise expert Steve Albini. He did a perfect job by giving space to Schultz’s voice, the heroine of this amazing record, and because of the flawlessly balanced way he surrounded the vocals with the crushing quiet/Loud/quiet force of her high-powered band. Schultz wrote all the songs. Trust me, all killers, no fillers with an ardent soul and a caring heart. Topnotch performance.
DOWN THE LEES is a Belgian based noise trio, led by magnificent Canadian vox Laura Lee Schultz. They recently launched their excellent, Steve Albini produced,
debut LP ‘Bury The Sun’.
One of my absolute favorite tracks is actually a quiet one with a sonic eruption
here and there. ‘WAR TORN‘ is a heart-touching ballad “about war, about missing
your loved ones who were lost in senseless acts.” Its empathetic and emotive tone is captivating and the wonderful, tender melody is just soul-stirring. Top piece!
DOWN THE LEES – BarBroos, Ghent, Belgium – 2 November 2019
DOWN THE LEES is a both, hot-tempered and sensitive Belgium based heavy rock trio,
led by impressive Canadian vox and guitarist Laura Lee Schultz. The band just released their excellent debut album, called ‘BURY THE SUN‘ recorded by Chicago‘s legendary
noise expert Steve Albini. A spine-tingling record that expresses the band’s concern
about our world’s future, about our world’s climate drama, about our world’s survival.
Last Saturday I saw the band playing for the first time, in my hometown Ghent (Belgium), and the overall sentiment was quite overwhelming. The performance’s keyword was pretty loud and clear: P-A-S-S-I-O-N! Warm passion, caring passion, committed passion. On stage, the songs got injected with even more tension than on the album, which in itself was a huge tour de force. Laura Lee Schultz‘s vox lifted the whole experience to another level, eye-to-eye, face-to-face. Backed by tremendous drummer Jonathan Frederix and vigourous bassist Kwinten GluehorseDOWN THE LEES use their noise structures as a powerful tool to give the songs a fitting and reinforced backbone that connects directly with their soul-stirring messages. Wow! Top gig! Top achievement!
Picture this…
Caring passion…
Powerful intensity…
Face-to-face…
Stream debut LP ‘BURY THE SUN‘ here…
.
Album available on Bandcamp / The LP’s track-by-track guide right here
DOWN THE LEES: Facebook / All concert pics by Turn Up The Volume!
DOWN THE LEES is a red-hot-blooded Belgium based noise rock trio, led by impressive Canadian vox and guitarist Laura Lee Schultz. The band just released their tense and high-strung album, called ‘BURY THE SUN‘ recorded by Chicago‘s legendary noise expert Steve Albini. Here Albini shines because of the perfect way he gives space to Schultz’s voice, the prominent heroine of this striking record, and because of the flawlessly balanced way he surrounded the vocals with the scorching quiet/Loud/quiet power of guitar, bass, and drums. But, again, the poignant force in the middle, is Laura Lee Schultz. She not only wrote all the songs but gave them all a vivid soul and a beating heart with the powerful and arranging assistance of her great band. She will tell you more of all of her babies, right below, Track by Track…
Here are the songs…
. Here’s Laura Lee…
1. Bury the Sun
“This was the first song that was written for this album, so naturally it comes first. Also, it should be on top of the pile of immediate action. Climate action. It speaks of the climate crisis we are facing and how a lot of people are so blind to it. It makes me so sad and worried for our planet. “When will we wake up?” We may just wake up to nothing.”
2. A Cynical Age
“Have you ever noticed how many school shootings are happening? One is too many. “Amazing Machine, put your hands into the air, only 17”. I like that this upbeat tune turns dark and ominous on a dime. Which is what it must be like to be one of those kids. Going through your school day then all of sudden you “are hiding under tables in the library”.
3. Just a Kid
“When we started on this song, it was a poppy number. Then Kwinten laid his bass magic on it and it is now a stand out track. Imagine never knowing who your father was. Imagine having a mother who kept that information from you. Imagine having to live through a war. And now, imagine never being able to talk about it. “Do you even remember? Now
we all forget his name.”
4. War Torn
“Another song about war! It’s like there is a theme. And yes, this album has a theme. Death. A song about missing your loved ones who were lost in senseless acts. “I’ll make believe that you are here and not lost like all the daughters.”
5. Penny Straight
“The most energetic song on the album! We love playing this one live. A cheeky number about straight women breaking gay women’s hearts. Awww.”
6. We All Belong On This Surface
“We are in a very interesting and scary time right now. There are many people coming out from under their rocks, belittling and threatening the well-being of others. “God willing they say, killing all whose different” I know it sounds cliche but it’s so true, can’t we all just get along??!!! Ugh.”
7. Antiseptic Heart
“This song is about artists feeling vulnerable and trolls throwing negative, hurtful comments at them. We, as artists, have to have a thick skin, and sometimes, the skin
isn’t thick enough. Forcing them to quit making their art or worse, quit living. There is something inherently wrong with someone who takes pleasure in ripping someone
else’s livelihood apart. “It’s too late to eviscerate the tragically unkind.”
The video for ‘Antiseptic Heart’ …
8. Please Pain
“People like to ridicule. The pleasure pain of being cruel.” Some people
get a kick or a high out of hurting people. I just don’t get that.”
9. Coda
“The album comes to an explosive end, which is how we like to end our shows.”
Thank you Laura Lee.
May the road rise with Down The Lees!
Who: A fervid noise trio from my hometown of Ghent in Belgium,
led by the wonderful Canadian Laura Lee Schultz on vocals and guitar
Pick: ‘ANTISEPTIC HEART – single from their upcoming, third LP called ‘Bury The Sun’,
out 13th September via Wagonmaniac Music. The LP is produced by veteran noise
expert Steve Albini
Score: This tense, emotional reflection has the threatening power of a bubbling volcano that can explode any second. Confused sentiments swing forth and back in a bewitching quit/Loud/quit progression with Laura Lee Schultz‘s impressive vox accentuating the profound sentiments at stake here. Heart-whole performance all the way. Capture the intensive commotion this way.
