Review by Rachel Jablonski
When you’re living in Iowa far from anything resembling a music scene, you really don’t expect much when a local band opens a show. Such was the case in seeing Drowning Pool at 3rd Street Live in Cedar Rapids, IA. Arriving at the show reasonably early my friend and I had a drink or two and prepared to be entertained by the local talent. But we were not prepared when the second opener hit the stage.
Reigning from small town, Iowa, an unfamiliar band called Lost Nation began to play. The anticipated amusement quickly subsided into musical interest. They aren’t bad, I remember thinking, and in fact they might even be good! After the set my friend concurred. So I gave the band my card and here I am listening to their four song demo.
The strength of the demo lies within two songs, “Law Booker” and “Razorblade Chin,” both heavy in guitar distortion and very distinguished bass lines. Though the tempo of the album is unhurried and rather constant, these songs seem to up the energy level simply via tone. The other two songs, “Empathy Song” and “Truth is Know,” contain less distortion, more upbeat guitar riffs, less prominent bass, and are not as effective. But for a demo, the production is well done and accentuates each track.
It is quite obvious by the band’s name as well as some of the lyrics that the focus is conceptually aimed toward American societal annoyances. This is particularly true in "Law Booker" where the chorus entails just keep calling people racist keep calling people sexist … it’s your American way. The vocals of the song and throughout the album progress in sort of a sing-sing-like fashion until the last word of each line. Emphasis is then placed on the last word as the vocals pick up into a scream complete with a slight echo.
Lost Nation’s four song demo is a good start for the band that has already proven a strong live performance. Iowans, look for the band in your area soon.