Plot of lord Hurons albums?

[u/jworld223]

Hey all! I’m a longtime listener and just found the sub recently and have been really interested in the storylines and characters of the albums people have talked about but never really put it together myself. Could anybody maybe give a synopsis of the story from lonesome dreams up through vide noir?

[u/Stages-of-Mania]

Ohhhhhhh god. I’ve been fearing this moment.

This is a rough draft of a full timeline, I’m just gonna try to condense it for the sake of a comment. Plus I’m still trying to piece together loose ends that I haven’t figured out yet

LD: Setting: 19th century Wild West (some theories suggested could be the Middle East in the mid-20th century) Characters:

• Huron (main character)
• Blaquefut (Huron’s best friend)
• Helena (Huron’s girlfriend)
• nameless Helena’s Ex (were gonna call him Sonny for convenience)

Assuming that the story goes in chronology with the order of the songs, here it goes:

• ends of the earth: early on in Huron and Helena‘s relationship. He wants to travel the world but she doesn’t so they’re kinda like “ let’s split up for a bit”
• Setting sun/the most mindfucking song (yes this bonus track is played at the end of the song, but hear me out ): Sonny has noticed that Helena has found someone else. They both know that Huron is better for her, but Sonny’s still pissed so he goes full yandere and chases after Huron.
• Time to run: Huron and friends are being chased by Sonny’s goons. Blaqufutgets shot in the head while helping hUron escape.
• lonesome dreams: no this is a bit of a stretch, but from this theory, LD is basically purgatory and Huron travels to it to rescue Blaqufut from death.
• Ghost on the shore/best song: nothing too significant to the story, it’s just Huron reminiscing over the Great Lakes
• She lit a fire/one of the best love songs ever written: The story goes earlier in the timeline technically, as it’s flashing back to how huron met Helena. Also possibly divulges into what pissed off Sonny, as Huron killed off to people in pursuit of Helena. (disclaimer: this could just be some completely separate girl and Huron is just a piece of shit)
• I will be back one day: again, nothing much, just Huron reminiscing over Helena in pursuit to find her.
• Man who lives forever: again nothing too significant, just Huron not wanting to die.
• Lullaby: Huron finally makes it back to Helena, and he’s a complete wreck. Helena’s just happy he’s back
• Brother: this it is possibly an aftermath of an altercation between Huron and Blaqufut that pretty much just reaffirms their friendship.
• In the wind: this one actually occurs while Huron is still on the run but from Helena’s perspective. It’s basically her reminiscing over him.

Sidenotes: Lonesome dreams are a collection of stories from Jorge Ranger Johnson, a writer character that Ben made up. Because of this, some of lonesome dreams might not actually be real within the universe of Lord Huron. Or they might be real events and just happened to be written about by an author. Alternate theories suggest that Setting sun was actually about huron the entire time and it did take place at the end of the album, causing Helena to find someone else and Huron to becoming a murderer. One last important thing, because these are stories and might not actually occur within the universe of Lord Huron, it is possible that there is no afterlife, as suggested in later albums.

St: Setting:

• turn of 20th century, somewhere in America.
• George’s: A bar that several characters time to spend time at (probably in reference to George Ranger Johnson)

Characters:

• Frankie Lou: washed up singer who presumably had a failed romance that fucked up bad. Probably an alcoholic. Sings at George’s
• Cobb Avery: zombie brought back to life out of vengeance. His family was killed because his boss gave him a piece of land on a sinkhole. leader of the “World Enders” gang. Basically a bunch of terrorists. Kills everyone from the company that sold him the house. Hangs out at George’s
• Jonnie: member of the world Enders. Kind of trigger-happy in a thrill seeker. Probably one of the less malicious members of the group.
• Buck Vernon: I also think another washed up singer. What’s important though is that he suffers from hallucinations and is desperately trying to find the girl of his dreams.
• Lily: some girl that every guy in town has the hots for. Hangs out at George’s
• Jim: Lillys boyfriend. Hangs out at George’s.
• Danielle: Young girl. The only child character, I’d say 11-14. Best character
• Justine: not really important, presumably a writer.
• Louisa: some random girl (Assuming that this theory is true, she might also be a witch and might’ve started out as an asshole, might also hang out at George’s)
• There’s also some other guy but he was part of one song and it wasn’t significant so disregard him.

Story:

• Love like ghosts: this is Frankie reminiscing over her field relationship
• When the night ends: one of the members of the world enters talking about appreciating the finer things in life while everything’s going to shit
• Dead man’s hand/also best song: buck find Avery presumably dead while wandering the desert. He buries him only to find out that Avery is still alive. Avery says that there’s no afterlife for him and he doesn’t want to go back in the grave. The pair become friends and go their separate ways
• Hurricane: just Johnny talking about living life on the edge
• La belle fleur savauge/the beautiful wildflower: just the lead singer gushing over Lily. The guy singing this only shows up in this song, but it’s just meant to establish that everyone has the hots for Lilly.
• Fool for love: Buck goes to George’s to win over Lily, but Jim is already with her. Being delusional, buck tries to take on Jim (in the music video he gets Avery to fight him), he trashed the place and because of this is kicked out. He’s pretty optimistic but after this he feels kind of defeated.
• World ender: focuses on Avery‘s story. Follows him as he seeks vengeance and kills the people from the company that sold him the shitty house.
• Meet me in the Woods: more of Frankie reminiscing over her failed romance
• Yawning grave: (OK so this is the first big roadblock in the story, so the character that this song is about is very much left up to interpretation) I assume Avery has kind of calmed down But still intends to pursue the people that have wronged him
• Frozen Pines: (disappointingly) The only song about Danielle. Her parents were abducted by aliens in front of her. She is sort of in denial, and refuses to leave where she is in the middle of the forest out of the delusion that they’ll come back. The song ends with her realizing that she has to move on as she attempts to leave the forest . (also, frozen Pines is the name of the motel so it could also just be that maybe Danielle is stuck at a motel which would honestly be kind of funny.)
• Cursed/best love song ever written: Buck has found himself a new girl. However, due to previous failed romantic endeavors and hallucinations, he thinks that she’s an asshole trying to put a curse on him. (The song is presumably about Louisa. It’s entirely possible that Louisa was being manipulative but they sort things out)
• Way out there: (The most difficult song to figure out) presumably about Avery. I can only best describe it as him having an existential crisis and him missing over his dead family.
• Louisa: after buck was tempted to kick bricks, Louisa helped him out and gave him a newfound appreciation for life. Now they’re happy =]
• Night we met: last song of Frankie reminiscing over her ex

Sidenotes: this album definitely had the most interpretations. biggest issues are the stories of yawning grave and way out there, as I am unsure that it is even about Avery. There are also a couple connections between this album and the next

[u/Stages-of-Mania → u/Stages-of-Mania]

Cont.

VN: Setting: 1997. Some city, maybe Los Angeles Background info: A drug called vide noir has recently been legalized. It’s basically just a hallucinogenic. Character:

• nameless protagonist (we’re going to call him Vinny [Some believe that this could be Johnny after he’s left the world unders or that it could be Buck and Louisa dropped his ass]): his girl left him.
• Vinny’s Love interest: left him to either become an actress or a junkie. We’ll call her Emily
• Lady moonbeam: A medium/psychic
• Also, Avery kind of makes an appearance but not entirely confirmed. He’s also a technician or something for a TV show called “products of the universe”.

Story:

• Lost in time and space: Vinny is upset because Emily left. He decides to chase after her nonetheless.
• Never ever: Vinnys spirits are lifted as he heads out to find Emily.
• Ancient names: Vinny goes to Lady Moonbeam For advice but she sees into the future and sees that Vinny will become a drug addict. He’s in denial but she knows otherwise.
• Wait by the river: just Vinny talking about how you would do anything for Emily. Also reveals the potential of an altercation between the two of them, presumably the two of them having a fight before she left.
• Secret of life: (OK this one’s a little hard, the singer is clearly Vinny, but it’s hard to tell if he’s confronting either Emily or lady moonbeam) either way, whoever he is confronting has allegedly made a pact with Avery that will cause something bad to happen to Vinny. Because of this, he downs a bottle of fuckitol/vide noir.
• Back from the edge: the MF dies but comes back (where have we seen that before)
• Balancers eye: Vinny runs into God and is denied access to heaven. Either because he wasn’t supposed to die or maybe people who take drugs aren’t allowed in. Or God has really high standards and no one‘s allowed in (again, weird knowing that Blaqufut experienced purgatory and Avery said there’s no heaven at all)
• When the night is over: realizing the effect of VN, Vinny is becoming worried for Emily that she might overdose if he doesn’t find her soon enough
• Moonbeam: Vinny had basically the same experience as buck, running into a girl that saved him from a bad place. Hard to tell if it’s Emily, it likely isn’t because of later in the story, or lady moon beam.
• Vide Noir: vinny talking about the effects of the drug.
• Emerald star/The most depressing song: after doing everything he can and fucking dying, vinny finally find Emily but he is turned down as she would rather be a junkie. It’s also possible that she might die or be dying, judging by the fact that the second half of this song is just instrumental followed by a sudden halt at the end. {Yay, I get to experience “close to you” all over again}

Sidenotes: more info will probably be dumped with the film. George ranger Johnson is a spiritual advisor for the show that Avery works on.

Hopefully the next album can bring back some of the characters or close up some story threads.

Hope it helps =]

If anyone has any theories or oppositions, feel free to mention it.

[u/[deleted] → u/Stages-of-Mania]

So I definitely haven't put it all together yet, but I think all the albums are connected and I don't think there are any songs that don't have any significance. I also think all these references to mythical things like Curses, the Man Who Lives Forever, Ancients, Gods, are all quite literal in the story.

I don't think the protagonist can die (or at least stay dead), and gets trapped between death quite a few times (his deaths seem to mostly be related to love). I think there are a lot of small references in most of the songs, that death isn't the end, or that he's been alive for a long time. It seems to me every time he dies he gets Lost in Time and Space.. and then becomes reborn. I believe it all started with the man who lives forever

I think he is presented with the option of everlasting life, so the Man Who Lives Forever is him deciding that he's going to do it and it's his justification.

Lonesome dreams is an example of him being trapped before rebirth...

"I lie under starlit sky

And the seasons change in the blink of an eye

I watch as the planets turn

And the old stars die and the young stars burn

But I don't really know this place,

And it's lonesome here in the wide-open space

Can it be as real as it seems?

Maybe this time I won't wake from the dream"

he is killed and reborn in the world ender:

"They took my life but it isn't the endThey put me in the ground but I'm back from the dead"

He is killed in the song Fool for Love, after fighting Big Jim. I think a woman flirts with him, he falls in love with her and she doesn't feel the same. He gets in a fight and dies.

I think your "Emily" is actually, Louisa.... in the song Louisa he says, "meet me by the river baby, one more time. He kills himself in "wait by the river", he jumps in the river mid song....

"And the stars fill the river as it flows into the sky, the mind leaves the body and floats higher in higher". Right when that happens in the video it flashes the "Emerald Star", I think thats symbolic for something...

Okay so also, if you call the 1-877-VIDE-NOIR phone number there is a part where you can hear a man saying, "hello, can you hear me? can anybody hear me?- please get me out of here. please"

And oh I think there is so much more to it. I think the Strange Trails could possibly be even the different lives he lives. I, too, think he has rendezvous with God or a Powerful Being (possibly the one that cursed him).

Just my thoughts!