***with the playing and singing talents of many friends, including:
Mark Schwaber, Thane Thomsen, Brian Marchese, Bruce Tull, José Ayerve, Mark Mulcahy, Kelly Lamay, Doug Beaumier, Joe Boyle, J.J. O'Connell, Matt Sutton, et al.
***void where prohibited, or prohibitive.
Influences
Music In Kitchens, Wayne Zeil & Co., The Northeast Contingency, Disparate Pairings, Mellow Metonymy, Lighthouses in the Desert, Was Russians, Paludic Bank, Republique US.
Sounds Like
Recent Press for Lo Fine:
"If Iron and Wine have been getting too burly for you lately, you might check out this engaging folk Americana album. The mood of its gently reflective and often lovely songs (Damage Twins; Remotely Together; Sight Behind Lids) ranges from hushed to haunting, mellow to melancholic, given an added intimacy by a singer whose voice is a whisper louder than Sam Beam's. **** 4 stars"
-Sylvie Simmons, MOJO Magazine
“as disarmingly lovely as any album you’ll hear this year—or this decade—a nearly ideal agglomeration of melancholy pedal steel, close, minor-key harmonies and weathered rumination....This is special. If you ever laid in bed all Sunday morning listening to Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend or got over a lost love to the soundtrack of Hollywood Town Hall, you ought to hear Not for Us Two.”
-PopMatters
“There is an unwavering sense of familiarity and calmness that allows listeners to completely trust the songs from Lo Fine.The pace is slow and the lyrics are comforting, as singer Kevin O’Rourke pleasantly tells the tales of love, life and hope. The biggest strength found on Not For Us Two is the sense of beautiful meditation within the lyrics, with O’Rourke’s poetic words leaving permanent imprints on the souls of all who come in contact.”
-Northeast Performer
“Not For Us Two is a straightforward sounding record. No maddening metaphors or tricky hooks clutter the sparse acoustic songs and general melancholy that has become Lo Fine’s trademark. Not For Us Two acts out in subtle and gentle fashion. A combination of Jeff Tweedy and a mournful Zach Rogue, O’Rourke brings genuineness to what could otherwise be contrived or overly standard thematic situations. Lo Fine utilizes a less-is-more stance to music....the album is satisfying in an age of over sensory acts cramming every corner with noise. Lo Fine allow the songs to expand at a slow, but natural pace, bringing a warmth and finally a welcomed resolution.”
-Alarm Magazine
“the slow-motion playing, gentle vocal, lilting lullaby of pedal steel all serve to relax, and very calming it is. The closing ‘My Favourite Illusion (Not for Us Two)’ is another indolent warm afternoon. I feel as though I should be throwing open the windows and letting in the breeze when the pile of harmonies and counterpoints arrive things are elevated again. This is an enjoyable set of songs that has a unity of approach.”
-Americana UK
"Lo Fine’s very name provides the perfect example of truth in advertising. With [Not For Us Two] their alluring third album’s sense of circumspection residing below the surface, they express a sound that’s calm and captivating....Lo Fine’s stealth and deliberation prove entrancing."
-Performing Songwriter
“Not For Us Two is akin to Son Volt, Bonnie Prince Billy and at times, the later period Red House Painters....The lyrics are direct and honest, O'Rourke shirking any kind of obscurity in the straightforward delivery of the words...If there is a theme to Not For Us Two, it is one of aching while being separated, whether by a breakup or by distance, from a loved one...This album has KEXP written all over it by the songwriting and the production. It will comes as no surprise to hear these songs on the station in the coming months.”
-Three Imaginary Girls
“Lo Fine is essentially the work of Kevin O'Rourke – though....our eyes lit up to see that ex-Scud Mountain Boy Bruce Tull has a hand in shaping this gentle alt-country shuffle with his unmistakable pedal steel work...this one comes from a new EP of unreleased B sides. Dig that brush work! And Kevin's easy mourning vox.”
-Stereogum
“It's as much a logical extension of the attractively darker side of such sounds from the seventies as it is of more recent avatars of same...Will Oldham and Mark Kozelek for good reason in this case.”
-All Music Guide
"Lo Fine's delicate, meandering songs sound like nighttime - they begin with a whisper, swell softly and then fade, each like a hazy dream.”
–Hybrid Magazine
Please click on links below to purchase albums.
All Lo Fine titles are also available through the iTunes store, CDBaby.com, or through Choke Distribution at your local record store.
kevin! i'm so thrilled you actually read your comments. i adore your music and would love to actually own a copy of your album. should i do cdbaby? it'd be faster to do itunes...hmmm.
anyway. when are you coming to DC? i could open for you!
Glad to hear from you, mate. Like you, I'm also taking it easy - just got off my last job as an editor of a magazine called VIP (sort of a Brazilian Maxim), broke off with the old lady(that one you met backstage) and moving to my own apartment. Just writing for a few mags and working on some short stories of my own. The new release is great news, don't you have a FTP or anything like it so I can listen to the new songs? And, whenever you wanna come to Brazil, you have a place to stay. Take care. Cheers
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