Lo Fine reviewed
Lo Fine
Not For Us Two
(House In The Hills)
Kevin O’Rourke, aka Lo Fine, sounds uncannily like Matthew Sweet, which does more for Not For Us Two than it should.
It’s the thrill of that rosewood voice in sugar-free environs — no power pop kaleidoscopes here — that keeps this second full-length out of the gloomy pits. But there is a catch. O’Rourke, whose semi-weary and melodic delivery masks his flaws, is a damn awkward lyricist, lobbing clunkers like “Bruises won’t tell what pride tries to protect” and “Not even incandescent light/could keep the ghosts away” out in the open because he knows he can sing his way around them (nearly in the round, as with “Remotely Together”). Until he can fix it, we’ll make do with humming along.
— Steve Forstneger
