Trout Fishing in America: Lookin’ at Lucky

Plain and simple, Trout Fishing in America is a kids’ band that likes the writer Richard Brautigan. It was the name that drew me in; a favorite book title by a favorite author. Because Lookin’ at Lucky is the band’s first attempt at an album for adults in eleven years, it’s not hard to believe that many of the songs on the album are meant to entertain in a comedic sense rather than in a sense of musicality. It’s also not hard to believe that many of the songs, though often lighthearted, tackle more mature ideas – breakups, for instance, or Sudoku. It would be hard for any artistic person to ignore this developed creativity for so long. The lyrics, like the music, are straightforward: fun, playful, and not over the top. It doesn’t take a lot to see what Trout Fishing in America is getting at, and it doesn’t take long to warm up to it, either.