From Pelagic Record’s website, “Formed in 2006, when Katy Elwell (drums), William Knox (bass) and Mathieu Ricou (guitar & vocals) met and discovered that they shared a common vision in music, LIZZARD soon set out to work on their sound with a mission to find their own idiosyncratic approach to contemporary rock music – music that makes confident reference to the past without romanticizing it.” The album has ten songs, and “Unity” is first. It’s an interesting sound, and out of the gates, doesn’t conform to any singular genre. The riff is fuzzy and jagged, but the vocals open up with hooks and harmonies.

“New Page” has bright and airy tones with a bounce in it steps. The melodies are overly complicated, but that’s what makes them work so well…a good hook can carry you for weeks, even month. “Elevate” has an introspective, and emotional sound, and oh man does that chorus tug at your heart. Again, they smartly don’t overthink their approach to songwriting and the result is a genuine and honest sound that anyone can relate to. “Black Sheep” is perhaps the dark horse of the album. Sturdy bass notes rumble forward and the riff is a little heavier and darker, and when it shines, it comes through strong and confident.  “Home Seek” sweeps some of the dirt from the previous track off your face and brings the warm weather on your sunrise walk. For me, it sounds like the subject is just a bit lost, and contemplating his next moves.

“Mad Hatters” is pensive and sentimental, even affectionate and mysterious at times. In trying to get the heart of the message, I find it’s better just to enjoy the melody. The title track is a short little instrumental that takes the listener through many different feelings, and they also change the more times I play it. “Minim” roughly means “a bit” of something. For me, it feels like an internal dialogue you might have with yourself trying to come to grips with something that seems incongruent to you. “The Beholder” closes the album. It’s a five-minute, thought provoking ride of someone who might feel or see too much, and wants to just shut it off. The emotional response is almost too much, and that is one thing that the band drives home.

Bands like LizZard are out there, but it takes a whole lot more digging to find them. I am very happy this passed over my hands. At its core, it’s a simple album, with many pleasing melodies, but it has so much thought behind the compositions. Perhaps most convincingly, I can’t easily put into words the way it made me feel, but the point is that it did.