Weinland - La Lamentor (Badman) The Swiss army recently accidentally invaded neighbours Liechtenstein. Embarrassed, they quickly retreated before any body noticed, eventually the potential diplomatic crisis was laughed off. Here on La Lamentor, Portland’s Adam Shearer, aka Weinland occasionally stumbles close to Newton Faulkner territory, but fortunately never crosses the border and instead of embarrassment, Weinland flee with something of a triumphant battle cry. La Lamentor is a dark journey to the alcohol-soaked depths of Shearer’s heart. The Devil in Me is akin to fellow Portland troubadour Elliott Smith, but with a gothic country beat, and “Sick As A Gun” and the title track are both downtrodden hymns looking for a far off redemption, featuring Rachel Blumberg of Decemberists fame on subtle but essential backing vocals. The stand out however is “All To Yourself”, the album’s perfectly situated centrepiece in which Weinland really allow themselves to display their talents, coming across like a more subdued version of The Shins. Although at times La Lamentor can seem well inside the realms of hopelessness, it still sounds far from miserable. Occasionally a glimmer of optimism is allowed to break through, creating a finely crafted dose of lo-fi indie which will sit nicely on the shelf in-between those aforementioned Elliott Smith and the early Bright Eyes albums. www.badmanrecordingco.com Michael B. Next Past Reviews: March 07, April 07, May 07, June/July 07, Sept/Oct 07, Dec07, Jan08, Feb 08, Mar 08