Lorna - Static Patterns and Souvenirs

Static Patterns and Souvenirs is the second album of remarkably orchestrated songwriting by the Nottingham, England quartet. Lorna uses Scottish pop, postrock, Americana, and dream pop as signposts, but invigorates each of these genres by injecting a complex, yet seamless array of instrumentation, both traditional (pedal steel, classical guitar, flute, vibraphone, viola, banjo, French horn, flugelhorn, harmonica, mandola) and experimental (theremin, found noises, electronics). This orchestration serves as an innovative anchor to the compelling melodies sung, often in tandum, by Mark Rolfe, Sharon Cohen, and James Allen.   The album is inaugurated with "Understanding Heavy Metal Parts I and II." Part I is a beautifully mild-mannered pop song in the vein of Mazzy Star, with flourishes of banjo, harmonica, and trumpet. The song eventually segues into Part II — a two-minute instrumental coda with an electronic-fused rhythmic underbelly punctuated by vibraphone and trumpet melodies.