Lawrence Rothman -- Here Lies Love/Sawdust to Stardust
Lawrence Rothman caps off their country music trilogy with Here Lies Love / Stardust to Sawdust, an intimate and deeply relatable exploration of Rothman's full talents as they continue to explore themself.
Lawrence Rothman’s fifth studio album, the plaintive confessional Here Lies Love / Sawdust to Stardust, concludes a trilogy that began with Good Morning, America in 2021 and continued with 2024’s exquisite The Plow That Broke the Plains. Although the latter resonates with Rothman’s struggles with body dysmorphia and anorexia—and directly addresses drug addiction and gender identity—this latest release sees the artist at their most open and exposed.
The lyrics are deceptively simple, leaving nothing to hide behind. On single "Stable," Rothman sings of being “somewhere between falling apart and stable” while ‘Slow Rush’ laments “life is what happens when you look away”. Unfortunately, the misguided comparison present throughout ‘Karmakaze’ does dull the shine.
Drawing on a background in producing artists as diverse as Margo Price, Courtney Love, and Soccer Mommy, Rothman produced and mixed the entire album. The end result is immaculate, creating a near-instant connection with the listener. Given the good will and connections Rothman’s made across the industry, it’s no surprise to see some big names in the liner notes. Frequent collaborator Amanda Shires returns with her signature fiddle and ethereal, vulnerable vocals on multiple tracks. Jason Isbell co-wrote and laid down electric guitar on"Nothing Like Shakespeare," while Sarah Klang brings her country-tinged pop to "A Fire Test."
With baritone vocals evoking Sea Change-era Beck, Rothman builds full songs around a single central line or idea. There are a few misfires, but the bulk of the album is a testament to a stripped back troubadour on the highway to self-love and healing. The boot-stamping gothic blues of "Demons" is the album at its most immediate and convincing, while "Here Lies Love" is the most musically dynamic with its shuffle, harmonica, and punctuations of piano.
The release of Here Lies Love / Sawdust to Stardust brings a five-year chapter to a close. Although the trilogy was intended as a continuous body of work, it’s an album that stands on its own merits and, while flawed, offers a listening experience that’s at once intimate yet deeply relatable, and all while sounding as clean and clear as The Lost Sea lake.
