Listening to “Holus Bolus” by Lord Buffalo is like wandering through a forgotten ghost town at twilight, where every corner you turn holds the whisper of something ancient and profound.
You press play, and suddenly, you’re not where you were. The droning strings and the echo of the guitars pull you in, but they don’t guide you; they just let you drift. It’s like entering a space that’s both vast and intimate – think of it as stepping into a dream that’s been lingering just at the edge of your consciousness. You don’t really know where it’s going to take you, but there’s a strange comfort in that uncertainty.
There’s no need to pick apart individual tracks because the album works as one fluid piece. It’s like a series of vignettes strung together by a common thread – each moment heavy with atmosphere, but never weighed down. It’s all at once, just as the title suggests, and yet it’s not overwhelming. The sound is dense, sure, but there’s space to breathe, to let your mind wander along with the music.
Lord Buffalo isn’t interested in giving you easy answers or straightforward paths. The band creates something that feels rooted in the physical world – the dusty roads, the wide-open skies – but it also touches on something beyond, something you can’t quite put your finger on. The music is heavy, but not in the sense of sludgy riffs or pounding drums. It’s a heaviness that comes from within, like the weight of a memory that you can’t shake, or a story passed down through generations, the meaning of which has shifted with time.
As you listen, you might find yourself imagining landscapes that stretch out into the horizon, or maybe you’ll picture scenes from a Western that never existed, something between a Sergio Leone film and a David Lynch dream sequence. It’s cinematic, but not in a way that’s grand or bombastic. Instead, it’s the kind of film that leaves you sitting in silence after the credits roll, unsure of what you just watched but certain it’s going to stay with you.
And there’s a kind of warmth to the album, too – a warmth that feels like it comes from the very earth itself. The droning violin, the murmured vocals, the slow burn of the guitar – they all come together to create something that feels alive, something that grows with each listen. It’s as if Lord Buffalo has tapped into some ancient energy, channeling it into a sound that’s both timeless and completely their own.
In the end, that’s what “Holus Bolus” is – an album that’s felt more than anything. It’s music that lingers in the air, that stays with you long after the final note has faded. Lord Buffalo has crafted something that’s less about where you’re going and more about how you get there, and in that journey, there’s a kind of magic that’s hard to find anywhere else.
Follow Lord Buffalo on Facebook
Released by Blues Funeral Recordings on July 12, 2024
