LKN is the side project of Laura K. Newman, who could previously be found playing in the Pensacola, Florida act, Stellamarie. This is her second full length under the LKN moniker and with it, she pulls out all the stops to see that she gets noticed. This album was recorded in several different studios with different gear setups, which detracts a bit from the overall cohesiveness of the record. In the 15 tracks that span In the Leap Year, Newman's guitar playing is all over the map. It's very angular and disjointed and her vocals match it fairly well.
"Riddle" is the first stand-out track on the disc. It's the first to really show a solid melody in the guitar line. In this song, I'd actually compare her to the female version of Michael Richardson (Benton Falls) in terms of guitar work. Her vocals are a bit off-putting and can take some getting used to, but flow well with the mood. The drumming backs the song well also, matching every off time hit the guitar can throw at it. This is one of the few tracks that Newman didn't drum on herself, actually.
"To Stay in the Same Place" breaks a bit from the mold of the record and the guitar plays a twinkling line with some soft-spoken lyrics over it. The starts and stops sound quite a bit like Don Caballero and seem awkwardly placed.
There are some duds on here, there are some real winners on here too. I don't know if it's really anything to write home about but Laura K. Newman seems like she may be on the right track for the future. If you're a fan of the typical D.C. sound and want to hear a female practically pull the whole thing off herself, give this a try.
