Let's Go Sailing

LA singer-songwriter Shana Levy (formerly of Irving), the heart-on-sleeve and soul behind Let's Go Sailing, takes a welcome hi-fi approach to the twee-pop genre with her debut album, The Chaos in Order. Album opener "Sideways" exemplifies what is outstanding about LGS' approach, combining primary-colored portraits of romance with lush production—as opposed to the genre's typical gusto for lo-fi—to achieve an insta-theme song for crushed-out-yet-paralyzed admirers.

"Too Many Stars" varies the album's standard instrumental pallette (piano/keys, cello, guitar, drums, bass) a bit with the addition of pedal steel, lending the song a folky air until it scatters into a soaring Julee Cruise-like breakdown as Levy solemnly sings, "Could it be that there are too many fruits on the tree? And still none sweet enough for me?"

One of Levy's clear talents is rending a lot of emotion out of limited lyrics, as on "The Rope Is Long," where she repeats the titular words over and over, at first intimating a failed suicide note, and then a lifeline. The standout ballad "All I Want from You Is Love" similarly succeeds with little lyrical strain. Levy's yearning, breathy delivery is perfectly pitched, but if sung out one could easily see this well-crafted tune coming off as a Bacharach throwback.

Lead single "Icicle" heads into the saccharine territory that makes twee unappealing to many, with its simplistic imagery and chorus, "all the icicles falling, falling, oooooh, oooooh." But peppier tracks like "Heart Condition"—a clever song about imaginary wounds and barriers—redeem the milksop missteps by making an effort to actually rock out.

- Jocelyn K. Glei
04.10.07

Let's Go Sailing seems like a pretty average twee band, what with their penchant for the Smiths, their album's construction paper and crayon artwork, and Shana Levy's vulnerable, often vibrato-less vocals. But those who can get past The Chaos in Order's darling cover art will find an album as full of pathos as anything put out by the would-be Elliott Smiths of the world. Let's Go Sailing sounds a little like Rosie Thomas, but they're better off shelved next to Great Aunt Ida; they're whimsical and gentle, but they're also blessed with a complicating, wry world-weariness. "Sideways" is a great example of this -- it's sugary and pop-oriented, but it's also laced through with Levy's melancholic, somewhat chagrined vocals. In fact, it's Levy's skill as a singer, her ability to meld sweetness with darkness, vulnerability with cool, that sets Let's Go Sailing apart from other indie pop outfits. There are times when Let's Go Sailing's mopiness can grow a tad wearisome, especially on the painstakingly slow "The Rope Is Long." But by and large this disc drifts along, bellied up by its own airiness. "Come Home Safely," for example, is so puffy and delicate it feels like it could blow away; it's very pure. "The Chaos in Order" is a promising debut on the part of Levy and her bandmates -- a good album for those who've grown tired of Belle & Sebastian, as well as anyone who'd like to drift away on a sad little cloud. ~ Margaret Reges, All Music Guide