Certain albums complement different days of the week. A lazy Sunday, filled with a melancholy for the following workweek, needs the perfect album to fill it with comfort, peace and a beautiful aesthetic. William Fitzsimmons’ Lions accomplishes all three in a grandstanding fashion. A cross between Iron & Wine and Death Cab for Cutie, Lions demonstrates how necessary raw emotion and vulnerability are in order to create a masterful modern folk album.
Fitzsimmons’s attention to detail and subtle signs of growth in production make this album worth returning to after a few listens. “Took,” “Centralia” and “From You” shake off the skepticism that this album will be the same song twelve times in a row. They employ the use of layered instruments, accented guitar work, and cascading percussion over beautiful vocals to showcase Fitzsimmons’s dedication and hard work.
Thanks to producer and Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla, these songs manifest into something more than just cuts for an indie movie soundtrack. They become individual pieces of a grander artwork. The quivering honesty in the lyrics of “Blood/Chest,” the haunting passion of the backing vocals in “Sister” and entrancing melodies that sink listeners into a meditative state on “Lions” put Fitzsimmons at the top of his genre.
The final track, “Speak,” closes the album with a heartbreakingly sincere tone. Vocals fade in and out, minimal instruments keep attention on what he is saying, and lonely piano chords drive the song forward. The attention to detail in this song shows Fitzsimmons’s growth as an artist. The reverb and feedback taps into an emotional vein that his words are unable to provide. “Speak” barely goes over two minutes, speculating that this isn’t all Fitzsimmons has to offer, that this album is just a taste of what is to come.
Lions digs deep into the wild and frightening emotions that Fitzsimmons wants to express. He sets himself apart from the many other modern folk acts by putting his feelings out in the open, meticulously crafting songs around them and binding them together.
Rating: A-
