Bastion of the Los Angeles pop scene, David Steinhart, is back once again with his band The Furious Seasons, but this time jumping head first into a new style for the first time. He had dabbled in acoustic arrangements with his previous bands, but Look West is Steinhart’s first complete foray into folk music. Although his voice on the record possesses a timbre and cadence similar to that of Bob Dylan —obviously the single-most emulated voice in all of folk music—the band’s style and Steinhart’s lyrics are far more akin to the comparative nonplussed modesty and understated pop structures of Paul Simon.
Steinhart’s keen sense of melody remains, proving it’s something innate within himself whatever style he dips his toes into, and the choruses of songs like “Longshot” and “Sadly Matched” are as catchy as anything he released during his days with Pop Art. Far from sparse, the record is lushly arranged and the dreamy layers of guitars on “Best Plans” and “The Tape” sound like an alternate universe where Phil Spector applied his Wall of Sound technique to folk music instead. Released in early October, Look West warm tones and postured melancholy attitude make it a perfect soundtrack for the fall season.
