Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Lynhurst owes its namesake to the neighborhood park in Minneapolis that the band’s members spent so many hours as children.
The sibling-trio amazingly spent as much time playing old instruments in their basement as they did in that park. For Jake, Matt, and Mari (ages 23, 21, and 19, respectively), music always seemed to be second nature to them, as evidenced in the three twice winning the Minnesota Music Academy Teen Artists of the Year Award.
After having taken the huge step in moving to Los Angeles to pursue their music full-time, Lynhurst seems poised to take their career to the next level with their debut album Field Day.
I was somehow mistaken in thinking the band was indie rock after about two minutes of the opening “Kiss Me Now.” I did double and triple takes of the album’s front and back cover to look for the word Disney on any of them. No luck.
And regrettably at this point I can’t help but lump the band into the Radio Disney category. I have nothing against the successful stable of Disney’s young artists (Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez), but that pop-rock sound feels so outdated and old-fashioned.
Fortunately, I left the album running long enough for the bubblegum pop of “Exactly” to remind me of the harmless cuteness of enjoyable radio-friendly Colbie Caillat along with Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton way back when (and yes the latter two still make music). And long enough after to listen to the sassy “If You Love Me” or “Do You Love Her,” that reminds me of more mellow and subdued Paramore (no, seriously).
It’s a shame that Lynhurst wasn’t really around during the time Branch and Carlton were popularized during the MTV Total Request Live era where that pop rock sound still had its slice of contemporary mainstream music.
