Lael Neale – Altogether Stranger – Album Review
by Cathy Brown

Lael Neale’s third album for Sub Pop, Altogether Stranger, is a brief yet hauntingly beautiful slice of atmospheric sound. Clocking in at a concise 32 minutes, this 9-song album cements Neale’s ability to weave lyrical depth with minimalist drone pop, creating a soundscape that feels both intimate and expansive. Produced by longtime collaborator Guy Blakeslee, the album preserves the raw, intimate feel of Neale’s earlier work while venturing into fresh sonic and emotional landscapes.

Neale’s influences are evidenced in the album’s varied textures, which range from garage rock-inflected litanies to Omnichord-driven love songs. As on her previous records, the Omnichord remains at the heart of her sound, its quivering tones weave through the album like a spectral heartbeat, beautifully enhancing Neale’s luminous voice and evocative lyrics.

Highlights like ‘Down on the Freeway’ and ‘Wild Waters’ reveal Neale’s talent for finding the profound in the ordinary. The former, a nearly five-minute epic, throbs with a mesmerizing rhythm, while the latter kicks off the album with a mythic, primal force that calls to mind the Velvet Underground and Nico at their best. ‘New Ages’ marches with gritty, reverb-drenched beat, conjuring a sombre procession, while ‘All Is Never Lost’ brings a delicate, almost innocent optimism through its organ-like swell and the hopeful refrain: ‘There’s still a light inside of us.’ The finale, ‘There From Here,’ revisits themes of restless longing, leaving a poignant, unresolved ache which hovers over much of the album.

Thematically, Neale wrestles with dichotomies – mainly that of solitude versus connection. A sense of alienation pervades as played out in the double meaning of the album’s enigmatic title. Standout lead single, ‘Tell Me How to Be Here,’ embodies this with its gritty guitars and static, which melt into a prayerful vocal and repeating cadence which echoes John Williams’ iconic five-note refrain from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. That the accompanying video sees Neale roaming LA dressed as an alien only reinforces her themes.

Blakeslee’s production is instinctive and earthy, giving the album a warmth despite its minimalism. Subtle ambient textures and tape loops enrich the sound, while the Omnichord and occasional Mellotron touches lean into that late 1970s vibe.

Neale’s Altogether Stranger is a daring, lo-fi songbook that weaves the absurdity and beauty of our fragile world into a captivating tapestry. This concise, meticulously crafted album commands attention with its quiet brilliance, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in its inscrutable, dreamlike allure.