Ian Love (Limekiln)
By Tim Den
Monday. Feb 20, 11:30 AM
Strength and resolve in soft musings.

Ian Love has had quite a life. After being accepted into and soon leaving New York’s famous High School of Performing Arts (immortalized in Fame), he played in numerous influential hardcore bands (including Burn) and fell deeply into heroin use all before the age of 17. By the time he was 23, however, he had begun to clean himself up after six straight years of substance abuse and a few near death experiences, slowly finding his way back to making and loving music. Over the next five years, he would join, write, record, and tour with Rival Schools, his own band Cardia, and as a part of Onelinedrawing all without any foreign chemicals in his body. With years of sound engineering under his belt, he would also man the mixing board for New York’s Brownies for a while before opening his own recording facilities. Just this past year, he got married and had his first child. As you can see, this – Love’s first proper solo album – has quite the back story.

Leaving behind the epic rock of Cardia and the post-hardcore energy of Rival Schools, this album is a subdued affair with Love playing most of the instruments, often softly pattering out a rhythm on an acoustic to keep tempo (“Butterfly”). The tranquil appearance of the songs belies the turmoil their creator has weathered in his young life, but in doing so conveys a sort of deeper mystery… as if emotional storms are brewing beneath the surface. Let the melodies, mellotron flourishes, gentle acoustic pickings, and delicate falsetto sit with you for a while, and you will see what I mean. Power is often not found in volume: within the soft musings of this album, there is strength and resolve. Courage and peace. That the songs can also be pleasing and passively listened to is just an added bonus.

Who knows where Love’s path will take him next? For now, it has led him to a hush hush scenery full of beauty and unspoken resilience: a wonderful aural experience that all should seek out.
www.ianlove.com
www.limekilnrecords.com

Listen to a song from this album in our Radio section!

Tim Den

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