Art by Mercie Taylor
Loe is Eric Andrew Taylor, Ben May, Gileah Taylor and Nick May
2023
Leem of Earth is an alternative dream rock 4-piece made up of members Gileah Taylor, Ben May, Nick May and Eric Taylor. Singer Gileah and guitarist Ben have been friends since the late 90s when they met as teenagers playing shows in different bands. Years later, when they formed Leem of Earth, Ben asked his younger brother Nick to join on bass, who then asked his roommate Eric to be the band’s drummer. This split-generation pairing yields a unique style dynamic, with Gileah and Ben representing a Gen-X sensibility of ‘90s alt rock flavor, while their millennial counterparts, Nick and Eric (who grew up listening to their bandmates) offer a dash of the mid-oughts Florida “scene” at the altar of those who paved the way. The band’s initial musical offerings - a trilogy of 3 song EPs - were released in late 2018 and 2019 on Velvet Blue Music. Since then, both Ben and Eric moved away, and the band recorded two new singles long distance. These songs, Wild Waves and Shadow Sleeping, are storybook songs. Gileah’s luminous voice is set against a cinematic backdrop of epic guitars and bass lines and insistent drums. Both songs are also included as demos, which feature the simple iPhone voice memos Gileah recorded when the songs were written.
chapter one
The four members of Florida band Leem of Earth deliver an expansive, synth influenced sound on their debut, Chapter One. The three song release is a nod to the vibe of the best nineties bands - part romance, part grunge, with the feel of an indie rock video in black and white 35mm film. They cite The Innocence Mission, Radiohead, Belly and Sunny Day Real Estate as some of their favorite bands from this period.
LM leads and centers the band with her guitar and keys and soft but not-too-sweet vocals. She and the rest of Leem of Earth all have past and current lives in music, so they decided to go simply by initials in the band. Brothers B and N are on guitar and bass, respectively. E plays drums.
Thursday late night recording sessions with producer Jeremy SH Griffith (Johnnyswim, SUNBEARS!) and engineer Chris Taylor brought songs on Chapter One to life. There are moments inspired by 19th century Scottish novelist George MacDonald, as on "The Beech Tree’s Song". LM quotes a MacDonald poem, her breathy voice mirroring her piano, while the band builds to a forceful, nearly chaotic ending. Other moments drag you into some of LM's personal space: “When I wasn’t looking, you turned my heart towards you. I wasn’t thinking of being anybody’s love,” she sings on "Southland", with a wall of shimmering, reverb guitars behind her.
The 3 track EP works to capture and keep attention - from the nostalgic opening melody on an old Wurlitzer spinet, to the last uplifting outcry of electric guitars, so much is accomplished in the short time span. We hope you're left wanting more.
Chapter Two
On Chapter Two, Florida band Leem of Earth continue the musical expedition they began on Chapter One (which was released in October 2018). This three song release expands on the sound and the story. The sound is a nod to the vibe of the best nineties bands - part romance and part grunge. The band cites The Innocence Mission, Radiohead and Sunny Day Real Estate as some of their favorite bands from the period.
With Chapter Two, the band adds in otherworldly aspects. "Water" is a Peter Gabriel-style conversation with a skeleton. In "Faithful Lights", the sun and moon watch over the dreaming narrator, and the music swells and surges with synth, voice and rhythm section all keeping pace with each other. "Only So Many Ways" features guitarist B's towering electric, while N on bass and E on drums are vivid and relentless, and LM's velvety voice wraps it all up.
Producer Jeremy SH Griffith adds his synth expertise and created a couple of codas from tiny pieces of the songs. Leem of Earth’s sound and vision is ethereal and not all that easy to describe, but we think that’s definitely a good thing.
Chapter Three
Chapter Three completes a trilogy of EPs from Florida based band, Leem of Earth. The three song release follows its predecessors in treading 90s rock band waters, but moves from a definitive synth rock sound into something more fluid and timeless. Sunny Day Real Estate comes to mind, as well as later Jeremy Enigk albums. There’s a hint of prog-rock, as well, on Army of Dry Bones.
The first track and the radio single, Wishing Well, has vocalist LM singing with tense and direct passion in the verses. The chorus quickly builds into a dynamic wail from the entire band. The lyrics tell of LM wishing that she was anywhere but the wishing well, a feeling that is at odds with the traditional fairy tale character.
Dressed For War circles the earth with war drums pounding and arpeggiated synth. The guitars are close and the bass holds everything firm. LM sings “…all of this time I’m looking out but blood’s on the battlefield within.” The song ends with the entire band singing out in the final bridge.
The last song, Army of Dry Bones, includes pieces of Ezekiel chapters 36 and 37 and gives melodies to match the spirit of the lyrics: “Our bones are dry, our hope is lost.” The band thunders in a way that is reminiscent of Radiohead circa The Bends. Almost everything drops out in the middle of the song, as the voice of God speaks to the prophet.
Leem of Earth offers this trilogy-ending EP as a thematic resolution to Leem’s story: that of a person on a quest, in music and in words.
REVIEWS:
“Initially serialized as three three-song EPs (titled Chapter One, Chapter Two, and Chapter Three) and now combined into a long-player with the addition of a 10th song (“I Will Wait”), this concept album based loosely on Ezekiel 36 and 37 is short on hooks and long on dream-rock textures. So it would’ve been right at home next to Cranes and Seefeel in the indie-alternative enclaves of the era that the lead singer Gileah Taylor (aka LM) has identified as her favorite—the ’90s. But even then it would’ve stood out: Not many acts would even dream of building an entire song around passages from George MacDonald’s Phantastes and C.S. Lewis’ The Weight of Glory (“The Beech Tree’s Song”).” - World Magazine
“If you’re looking for the perfect music to listen to on a rainy day, Leem of Earth is sure to deliver. After releasing their first EP, Chapter One, in 2018, the Florida band recently released Chapter Two of this soon-to-be trilogy. Although the release dates are a few months apart, the incredible music makes it worth the wait.
Consisting of only three songs, Chapter Two rings in at almost 19 minutes. The songs, “Water,” “Faithful Lights” and “Only So Many Ways,” range from five to eight minutes each, making them slightly lengthier than the average song. Though the album is not very long, these three songs are of superb quality and are a friendly reminder of why music is so great.
After listening to the album for the first time, I would say that Leem of Earth is one of the bands that does not solely focus on instrumentals, but also puts a lot of thought into their lyrics. Their lyrical style tells a creative story in each song. In the song “Water,” the lyrics depict someone’s encounter with a skeleton. It often references nature and is filled with descriptive personification that can make you feel very nostalgic. These are definitely not the quintessential lyrics that you hear in most music, but they are what make Leem of Earth’s music so special and distinct.
In “Faithful Lights,” the second song on Chapter Two, a sense of tranquility will overcome whoever is listening. This song tells a story about the sun and the moon while the gentle sound of a piano plays in the background. Just when you think the song can’t get any better, the lead singer’s beautiful soft voice adds a final hint of emotion that brings the song together. For the last few seconds of the song, instrumentals with faint words and sounds finish off this calming song and prove exactly why this song made it onto the album.
Lastly, “Only So Many Ways” is the final song on Chapter Two and my personal favorite. This song in its entirety resembles many of Flyleaf’s songs. The music is slightly faster and less mellow, but the singing keeps it grounded. This song also includes small segments that focus on the sound of the electric guitar, which gives Leem of Earth’s music the grunge sound that they are going for.
As someone who does not necessarily like slow and calm music, Leem of Earth’s Chapter Two completely changed my opinion. They transformed slower-paced music and made it enjoyable for someone like me. It is exciting to know that they still have one more album coming out in the near future to complete their trilogy. If Chapter Three turns out to be anything like Chapter Two, then we are in for another round of great music!” Lesley Milan, KTSW
“In 2018, singer/songwriter Gileah Taylor (aka LM) switched gears from her solo work and formed a new band called Leem of Earth. The band's aim was to tell a story through song, which came by way of three EPs, each with three songs, concluding in the summer of 2019. Or at least that's what we thought. Now, teaming up with Velvet Blue Music, Leem of Earth is adding a bit more with their self-titled, full-length album.
If you've already heard the three EPs (conveniently titled Chapter One, Chapter Two, and Chapter Three), then you'll have already heard 90% of this album. Much like Meadows' In Those Days & Also After, Leem of Earth is comprised of all nine of those tracks, plus one extra called "I Will Wait." For the uninitiated, Leem of Earth packs a punch, but an open-fist one. The music is layered, beautiful, and atmospheric dream pop and shoegaze that combines the best of Starflyer 59, Beach House, and Eisley. "I Will Wait" even goes so far as be almost completely acoustic (save for the last minute or so of dreamy synth and light drum machine), coming right in between the final two tracks from Chapter Three, but blending in with them as if it were originally written to be there anyway.
Similarly, the three EPs smashed together create a much more cohesive sound than you might expect. The jump from the final track of Chapter One to the first of Chapter Two (as well as that of Two to Three) doesn't sound forced, blending in with its surroundings quite well.
The story of Leem of Earth is one of redemption, told through the voice of a wanderer in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The desert and water are major recurring themes, symbolic of a life without Christ and His living water, respectively. The obvious example here would be the song "Water;" I love the simple, yet profound line, "You think you can do without, but you need water." As the character Leem wanders, coming across dark forests, skeletons, and filthy rivers, we find her looking for guidance from the Holy Ghost in "Inland," and His response with stars and moon to guide her to salvation in "Faithful Lights." There's no shortage of lamentation, of course, as we see in one of my favorite tracks, "Wishing Well," where Leem says, "Wishing I had courage to walk a darkened range / Wishing that there were no wolves - quiet, watching, strange / Wishing that the moon would quit her lighting on me / If I was in a fairy tale, I'd wish I didn't know it well / I'd wish it wasn't me."
But thankfully, in the end, redemption comes. I'll let any curious souls go and listen to how the final two tracks beautifully wrap up the story, instead of giving it all away here. But the addition of "I Will Wait" right before "Army of Dry Bones" only serves to deepen the story and the impact of the final track.
Though the majority of these songs are several years old, I think putting them all into one album was a great decision. Having Leem's story all together in one place sorta breathes new life into it, and may even create a first-time listening experience for people who generally avoid EPs in favor of full-lengths. Plus, the Velvet Blue Music store has physical copies that come with a big booklet that contains lyrics for all songs except the opening track, with additional poetry that helps move the story along. Leem of Earth is a terrific project all around, and I truly hope this is not the last we hear from this highly underrated band.” - Scott Fryberger for JFH
LABEL - jeff@velvetbluemusic.com
PRESS - james@airplayjunkie.com
LICENSING - julia@terrorbird.com