Lost and Profound

Critical darlings Lost and Profound are back on the radar after a decade, with new album Goodbye Mine and fans will be happy to hear its classic LaP melancholia, strung with some sweet riffing and a decidedly psyche-rock feel. Lead singer Lisa Boudreau and songwriter Terry Tompkins co-produced this fifth from the pair at Revolution Recording in Toronto.

"This record has a 70s vibe. We love the sound of early 70s albums like the early Bowie and ELO records and used those as our benchmark for how we wanted the album to sound,” says Terry Tompkins. “It was fun to have the string section in to play the George Martin inspired arrangements and for Lisa and Darrell O’Dea to create the beautiful backing vocals”

Often referred to as the Rock Carpenters due to Lisa’s vocals along with the melancholy vibe of the songs, Lost and Profound’s latest album, Goodbye Mine, blends sounds from different musical genres such as folk, rock and sunshine pop.

Boudreau’s vocals are reminiscent of Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval, PJ Harvey and Beth Gibbons, and when matched with Tompkins' visually evocative lyrics, the result takes listeners on emotional journeys. Lost and Profound combine piano, organ, trumpet, harmonium and strings, along with the core band to create a sparse and edgy ambience. Overall, a varied collection of fully fleshed out songs which give the backbone Lost and Profound sound a freshness. The band will be touring Goodbye Mine through Spring and Summer 2015. Check the website for show deets: lostandprofound.ca/musicr - Cashbox

Goodbye Mine
Lost & Profound

Those of us listening to modern rock radio back in the '90s recall the name Lost and Profound with affection. The Juno-nominated band scored a hit single ("Brand New Set Of Lies") and put out three strong albums before disbanding. The group was always built around the core duo of Terry Tompkins and Lisa Boudreau, creative and personal partners of longstanding. Their sound expanded from folk-rock to a psychedelia-tinged rock style, and after a long hiatus (during which the pair recorded as Red Suede Red), Lost and Profound is officially back, and with a highly impressive new album, Goodbye Mine. They describe their current sound as "sadcore", and Boudreau's pure voice (Beth Gibbons of Portishead is an apt reference) certainly excels at projecting melancholy. There's real vibrancy in the music though, preventing the album from being a downer. The pair co-produced, with engineering done by Dean Nelson (Beck) and Joe Dunphy (Revolution Recording) and mixing by Oz Fritz (Tom Waits, John Cale), so the sonic quality here is stellar. Lost? Not at all. Profound? Certainly. Trivia note: Tompkins is now an Emmy-winning composer for TV via his company Eggplant.

The album was launched with a showcase at The Rivoli in Toronto this week, one that featured the band reprising the whole album in thrilling fashion. Let's hope for more gigs soon. - New Canadian Music

Lost and Profound

Goodbye Mine

Review by G. W. Hill

This is a very strong set. I can see folks arguing with the classification as progressive rock, but really with the mix of sounds present here, I don’t see it landing anywhere else. Sure, it has a pop edge to it. It also includes things like shoegaze, psychedelia and more. However you label it, though, give this a try. It’s quite strong.
Track by Track Review
Superhuman

There is a mellow, dreamy kind of pop rock sound to this. It’s slow and pretty. The chorus gets an infusion of volume.
Iodine
There is really almost a shoegaze vibe to the later parts of this. It’s a trippy bit of psychedelic rock based pop music. This is great stuff.
Goodbye Mine
Some of the melodies to the title track make me think of Radiohead’s “Creep” for some reason. The contrast between mellower movements and more rocking ones is great.
Alcohol
This feels like what you might get if you combined shoegaze and Americana with Tori Amos. I like the harmonica on the cut, and the whole piece works really well.
Jewel
I like this song a lot. It is an anomaly since it has male vocals. It is like a 1960s pop rock song. It’s a bit of variety and a good one at that.
Bad Sister
The tune is a great rocker with the same kind of dreamy elements over the top. It’s more of a pure rock song, though.
Love's Hard Landing
A slow moving number, a horn adds a bit of jazz to the mix. It’s a great song that really feels like 1970s pop music. It is a very pretty song.
Until It Broke
I love the picked acoustic guitar on this number. The vocals are delicate at times, strong at others. The cut is in keeping with the more modern end of the spectrum. There is a lot of country pop built into this piece. The strings add a lot to the arrangement.
Rover
Here is a mellow cut that’s a folky ballad. There are still other layers of sound in the mix, though. It’s quite a pretty piece.
Spectre
There are no big changes here. Instead we get another slow moving, dreamy kind of cut. It’s moody and combines alternative rock and roots music. The vocal performance is among the best here. - New Music Journal

'90's band Lost and Profound were probably a little ahead of their time, despite one radio hit (Brand New Set Of Lies) and a Juno nomination. The group has been on the sidelines since 2002's album under the assumed name of redsuedered, while long-lasting couple Lisa Boudreau and Terry Tompkins have had very successful careers in other roles in the broader entertainment world. But music has beckoned again, and the Toronto duo has made 2015 the year of their return.


With a naturally plaintive voice, Boudreau revels in soft and sad. All the characters are troubled, whether in love or worse. There's also a great empathy coming across, and she treats them all with respect, and gives them intelligence. Sad things happen to smart people, and life's like that.


Meanwhile Tompkins has made the mood dreamy and hazy. And they are actually his words, drawing on the couple's lives, as well as classic storytelling. Rover has an ancient folk mood, a death ballad. Goodbye Mine even goes back to the Civil War. Alcohol is closer to home for the couple, the sadness here from self-inflicted wounds.


While it's all about melancholy, the album has a surprising positive vibe to it. Perhaps it's because the music is never mournful, and often uplifting. Also, it's merely a reflection of reality, and acknowledging it makes it easier to appreciate. This soundtrack for a sad day could actually help turn your mood around. - Top Canadian Music