Blazing New Trails

San Francisco based band Loquat is Kylee Swenson Gordon (vocals/guitar), Christopher Cooper (keyboards), Anthony Gordon (bass guitar), Chip Cosby (guitar/vocals), and Jon Langmead (drums.) The band name was derived from the Loquat fruit tree which holds nostalgic memories of climbing the trees in their carefree earlier days. We Could Be Arsonists is the band’s third studio album, which was mixed by Dave Pensado (Mary J Blige, Beyonce), Count (DJ Shadow), Glenn Rosenstein (Madonna, Talking Heads), and Ben Ellman (Galactic).

This album is smooth sounding, with sultry vocals and a nice mix of electronic and acoustic instruments. All of the songs flow nicely together, creating a relaxing and soothing feel. It’s the kind of album that you can lose yourself in while the world crashes around you with it’s beautifully melodic sound. Kylee’s voice is a bit reminiscent of both Joni Mitchell and Sarah McLachlan; it shines in the piano-driven ballad “Kindling For Fire.” The lyrics are witty and edgy, and the songs are upbeat and catchy. A good example of this is “Rumbling” which has a distorted guitar and electro-rock sound. The title track “We Could Be Arsonists” is fun and catchy.

This is a happy, feel-good album overall with a little bit of a nostalgic sound. We Could Be Arsonists is highly recommended for fans of electronic/pop and acoustic music like Feist and Florence & The Machine. Loquat is blazing new trails with its distinct sound.