TheBrit’s Number 10 of 2008
Ryan Lott’s debut album is one borne of rumination. His classical training brings real instruments and cut-up electronica together in a mix of broken beats, perfectly reflecting the nightmarish scenarios that we find ourselves in occasionally: lying awake at night, where order can barely be found out of the chaos of our thoughts and fears. This is emphasised further through the songs themselves. One word titles convey the bleakness of everything and the lyrics, which are mostly repeated phrases, endlessly plead or question.
But within each song (if one can call them that) there is musical variety. This allows us to continually re-interpret those phrases, without perhaps finding out what their true subject is. In this respect they end up speaking to us, and Son Lux’s walls and mazes become our own. So, after some time away from this album, re-listening to it yesterday, I discovered that Ryan’s words could in fact be my own.
Strangely, as it turns out, for most of the album it’s not contemplation on oneself. It’s about another. The proper lead song Weapons makes this clear “Lay down your weapons, let me in through your open wounds.” A line that becomes more powerful as it repeats, accompanied by piano, arpeggiated synths and cacophonous trip-hop. Other songs comfort and praise. Wither bears the line “You don’t have to be afraid” and Stand varies its backing to emphasise the thanks in “You stand between me and all of my enemies.”
Son Lux bears the scars (and scares) of relationships going wrong. There’s nihilism behind Betray’s curiously upbeat but languid lushness, conveyed through piano, flute, strings and bass “You will betray me baby, and I will be true.” And Tell is even more empty “Tell me everything you want to tell me. I have nothing to say.” Throughout the album Ryan’s vocals are creased with dispair, burdened through a life of, and in, ruins.
However, what all of these songs do is build a foundation for the surprising finale. War changes tack, albeit with the same instrumentation, but with vocal harmonies and in extraordinary celebration. And the last track Epilogue sends us away with that in our hearts.
What interests me most about this album is that others have concentrated on the music - in particular the attention given to how each song’s melodies and rhythms evolve, breakdown and rebuild. When in actual fact, it’s all about the words. If you listen to this and think it’s merely an album to put on and chill out to, you’ve completely missed its point.
Son Lux - MySpace
Son Lux - Last.fm
Son Lux - At War With Walls and Mazes (Amazon UK, Amazon US, iTunes)
