The band… Read Full Bio ↴Loch Lomond is an American band based in Portland, Oregon.
The band started as a solo recording project of Ritchie Young in 2003. With help of engineer/producer Rob Oberdorfer, Young crafted the first Loch Lomond album, When We Were Mountains. Over the next few years, Loch Lomond performed around Portland and the Pacific Northwest in various incarnations. Live performances would range from Young by himself to a full band. During this time, many different recording sessions took place in various studios and homes. These recordings were compiled on the early 2006 EP Lament For Children.
In the later half of 2006, Loch Lomond solidified into a nine-person band. In this format, they produced their 2007 album "Paper the Walls", which was more reminiscent of traditional chamber folk music while featuring many non-traditional instruments. They toured with The Decemberists in late 2008. In 2010, Loch Lomond's song, Wax and Wire, was featured in the short film Danny MacAskill's Way Back Home produced by Red Bull Media House.
2011 saw the release of Little Me Will Start A Storm, Tender Loving Empire. 2012 Chemikal Underground released the EP White Dresses.
Pens From Spain, their most recent album will be released on September 2, 2016, on Hush Records.
Loch Lomond effortlessly combines their symphonic nature with chamber-pop melodies. The six to nine performers orchestrate instruments to provoke a visceral experience that is both raw and emotional, weaving the distinct use of mandolin, theremin and saw along with the traditional indie instrumentation.
Luring the listener with the unique range and power of his voice, Ritchie Young's vocal ability enables him to switch from fragility to thunder in the turn of a phrase. Yet, Young exercises the power of restraint, saving vocal tornadoes for emotional apexes, buoyed by the four-part harmonies, string section swells and rhythmic dynamics of the ensemble.
Drawing inspiration from the iconic Funky Church, a Portland venue that serves as a home to local artists and musicians , Loch Lomond utilized this space to nurture their music in a way only a high-domed ceiling and absent sound system can convey. In conjunction with the cathedral's influence, Ritchie Young calls on inspiration from within to infuse his creativity. "My internal inspiration comes out of me in strange ways," says Young. "I lock myself in a room until I scream, knock stuff over, whatever I'm compelled to do to make a song emerge. Once a song does come out of me, I leave it alone. Changing the structure or the lyrics would feel like I was second-guessing my art."
There are no half measures with Loch Lomond. This group remains a long respected, gathering force that brings their tidal waves of sound to a much wider audience by immersing itself in a myriad of trained musicians. Ritchie explains, "It was a very slow process of finding the right people that fit. I say this in the most humblest of ways. Amanda Lawrence for example was at a show we were playing and her husband leaned over to her and said 'This is the band you need to be in; this is what you have been looking for!' She gave Peter Broderick a call and the next week she was playing with us and she fits so well."
The third official recording from Loch Lomond, Paper The Walls, evokes an emotional response to deeply imprint itself on the listener with songs comprised of gently narrated stories unraveling with rustic charm; simple in form, but saturated with tone and texture. Recorded at Portland's Type Foundry (M Ward, The Decemberists) and their second release from Hush Records, the album is rich with detail while retaining an uncommon sense of space.
Song in 3/4
Loch Lomond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and oh she paid her bills
until one day, her man, he died
and a fractured clan moved in
build stairs upon stairs and rooms upon rooms
and doors that go nowhere
build stairs upon stairs and rooms upon rooms
singing you're not going anywhere
and your not going anywhere
and you're not going anywhere without us
singing you're not going anywhere
and your not going anywhere
and you're not going anywhere without us
She moved one ten tons of bricks
from one side of this room to the other
tremors buck the land and wind whips the endless flags
singing we are men of the C
grew blue blood off the trade
until one day each of us fell and fall we did
our hearts grew black with silk and masks from the dutch tea C
Singing there is imbalance here
and there is imbalance here
and oh we've lost our trade
she moved one ten tons of bricks
from one side of her life into another
The lyrics to Loch Lomond's song "Song in 3/4" tell a story of a woman who built her house on the sand and paid her bills until her husband died and a fractured clan moved in. The lyrics describe her building stairs upon stairs and rooms upon rooms, but doors that go nowhere. The repetition of "build stairs upon stairs and rooms upon rooms" emphasizes the idea of the woman continuing to work tirelessly on her home, even though it seems pointless. The chorus repeats the phrase "you're not going anywhere" as if to suggest that the woman is trapped in her home and cannot escape the fractured clan.
The second verse describes the men of the "C," who grew blue blood off the trade until they fell and their hearts grew black with silk and masks from the Dutch tea C. The lyrics suggest a sense of imbalance and loss of trade, emphasizing the themes of decay and decay of a once-thriving society. Finally, the song comes full circle as it repeats the phrase "she moved one ten tons of bricks from one side of her life into another," once again emphasizing the woman's tireless work building and rebuilding her home.
Line by Line Meaning
She built her house on the sand
She made her home in a precarious and unstable location
and oh she paid her bills
She worked hard to maintain her livelihood
until one day, her man, he died
Unfortunately, her husband passed away one day
and a fractured clan moved in
And a dysfunctional group took his place
build stairs upon stairs and rooms upon rooms
She constructed a large and elaborate house
and doors that go nowhere
Including doors that lead to dead ends or are purely decorative
singing you're not going anywhere
The clan is threatening her and asserting their control over her life
and your not going anywhere
They are insisting that she is under their power and cannot escape
and you're not going anywhere without us
She is completely dependent on them for her survival
She moved one ten tons of bricks
She exerted herself physically and emotionally to make changes in her life
from one side of this room to the other
She tried to create some sense of order within her chaotic situation
tremors buck the land and wind whips the endless flags
The world around her is unstable and chaotic, with forces beyond her control
singing we are men of the C
The clan is trying to assert their identity and power over her
grew blue blood off the trade
They have benefited from exploiting others in the community
until one day each of us fell and fall we did
They had a downfall of their own, despite their prior success
our hearts grew black with silk and masks from the dutch tea C
Their morals and values became corrupted due to greed and exploitation
Singing there is imbalance here
The situation is unfair and unbalanced
and there is imbalance here
The clan has gained too much power and control over the situation
and oh we've lost our trade
Their downfall has resulted in them losing their source of wealth and power
she moved one ten tons of bricks
The woman continued to work hard and persevere despite the challenges she faced
from one side of her life into another
She made changes and adapted to a new reality in hopes of finding stability and a better life
Contributed by Vivian S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.