Leah Lou And The Two Left Shoes - This Music Belongs To You


Leah Lou And The Two Left Shoes - This Music Belongs To You
2011, Leah Lou & The Two Left Shoes


Leah Lou, Daniel Lee and a kick drum made from a garbage can comprise Cleveland, Ohio's Leah Lou & The Two Left Shoes.  Originally a trio, the band lost their drummer a week before a performance and had to improvise.  Their unusual stage presence combined with Leah Lou's distinctive voice and songwriting style will take you by surprise.  Leah Lou & The Two Left Shoes' debut EP, The Music Belongs To You, is a memorable effort that will leave you clamoring for more.

Leah Lou opens with "Clean Apartment", a snappy bit of folk/pop featuring Leah Lou's distinctively world-wise little girl voice.  Everything clicks here in an offbeat reminiscence, of sorts, about a relationship past.  "Donnie" is a bouncy little tune detailing the decline, fall and collateral damage of a family man succumbing to drug addiction.  The melody and tone of the song is in such stark contrast to the lyrics it's almost comical; you won't be able to get this tune out of your head.  "Donnie" might be one of the most infectious tunes of the year thus far, and seems ripe for movie licensing.

The dysfunction continues to flow on "Drunk Stupid & Used", where Leah Lou & The Two Left Shoes continue to juxtapose a display of personal demons alongside bouncy alterna-folk arrangements with supreme pop sensibility.  The gem of the EP just might be "Green Like Me", a brilliant recounting of insecurity and envy that's wonderfully upbeat and awash in neuroses.  This time the bounce is in the words and the vocal line, played against a plaintive, tick-tock style arrangement that marks the passage of time.  "Rain, They Say" is an apologist take on moodiness and its effects on those around us; an entertaining ditty with a memorable melody.  The EP closes quietly with the existential "Stop & Go", a treatise on traffic jams and the way they bring us together and pull us apart.  The mundane approach and gentle arrangement suggest a deeper parallel that's intriguing.

Leah Lou & The Two Left Shoes make a fine impression on This Music Belongs To You, the sort that will have listeners scouring the internet for unreleased tracks and waiting impatiently for their next album or EP.  Leah Lou's distinctive sound makes her instantly recognizable, and Daniel Lee helps to fill out the arrangements in distinctive style.  This Music Belongs To You is one EP not to miss.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

 Learn more about Leah Lou & The Two Left Shoes on MySpace or Facebook.  This Music Belongs To You is available for download from Bandcamp