Larks of Avon by Jeff Lescher
“I have no fear of time,” the line Jeff Lescher sings in his version of Sandy Denny’s classic British folk-rock song serves as something of a True North for the Chicago songwriter’s second solo album, Larks of Avon.
With his longtime band Green, Lescher’s musical schizophrenia effortlessly moved among power pop, folk, soul, country and hard rock; from Green’s 1986 debut it was evident he was a student and fan of music who wears his heart on his sleeve.
Larks again finds Lescher nodding to genres. The autumnal tones of “It’s Magic” recalls The Zombies, the raging rocker “What About Me” screams “I was doing the driving now I’m being taken for a ride” and a piano dreamscape recalls Robyn Hitchcock’s instrumentals.
A song cycle not unlike Green’s 2009 LP The Planets, this collection straddles faith and flesh where earthly concerns are given equal weight. William Blake’s line, “To see the world in a grain of sand” comes to mind in that this album was likely made with budget constraints. If this is water paint, imagine what Lescher could come up with given a block of granite.
The closing trio of songs is as catchy and haunting as any thing you’ll find—“I’m Not Going to Cry Today,” “The Sad Corruption of Ourselves” and instrumental closing track, the elegiac “België” ends the album with an otherworldly coda. Mark this as an album that listeners rediscover years from now.
Stream or download Larks of Avon at Amazon here.
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