Long Ladder Home
(Original UMB Review)
I guess you could say I’m setting my expectations for Long Ladder Home high, but to me I actually believe they could be something bigger than they are right now. They haven’t toured outside of their state of Illinois for almost a month now, and they only have been to 2 states for a total of 3 out of state gigs. Then again, it’s hard not to have these expectations after hearing ‘Many Days’.
The founder of LLH had a dream to be like his dad who was playing bass and singing in a band, and he thought it was the coolest job anyone could have. Starting in 2012, him and the rest of the band chased that dream. But instead of a 5-piece band, they have now shrunk to two people (David Mills and James Sherwood). Talent has not been lost because both James and David are talented songwriters and musicians, David usually takes over for the vocals but James also knows how to sing too. They write mainly about life’s hardships, mental health, but also hope or whatever sounds good to them. The majority of their fan base is in their hometown of Bloomington, IL, but they also like to network online and stream their music through multiple platforms.
“Tunnel was written about feeling isolated or alone. I wondered if I would struggle with problems I have today, when I get old. These lyrics from Tunnel sum it up better. ‘The young man looks at his life. Sits there wondering why your love stayed strong, your love stays under my feet. The old man looks at his life. Sits there wondering why your love stayed strong, your love stays under my wings’.”
-Songwriter for Tunnel
Like I said earlier, I have the bar set high for LLH. With that said, their debut album didn’t quite reach that bar. The album was good if you like simple, raw, and straightforward lyrics. Those kind of lyrics aren’t my favorite, but they did surprise me with how they wrote their songs in Many Days (2017). Songs like Washed Away, Sleeping, and Wishes really caught my attention. Their way to reel in the listener with catchy lyrics such as the ones in Wishes but also stay true to their sound was intriguing. So what is their sound? I will briefly say that their sound is similar to Oasis but with more of a sentiment and an emotion driven writing style. Fans seem to really catch on to these songs too, because the usual crowd favorites include Wishes and Tunnel.
Wishes was featured in the Indie Film “Room To Believe” that was released in late 2018.
Seeing that I am using an interview from before they became a 2-piece, it is unknown where they are going forward at this point. David and James did tell me that they’ve been gigging a lot more than they used to. So I will keep in touch with them as much as I can, and you should checkout their Spotify collection like now!
I would like to thank LLH for keeping in touch all this time, I couldn’t be anymore grateful to know such great and unique musicians in the USA! Have a good day to everyone!!!
By: Long Ladder Home
The Minimalistic Music Blog 