'Son Lux - We Are Rising'

In 2008 Ryan Lott quietly hushed out his first album under the moniker Son Lux. At War With Walls and Mazes didn't make any huge waves in the music scene but it has definitely secured him somewhat of a cult following. With its interesting take on the blending of organic and electronic elements, capped off with Ryan Lott's Strange androgynous lull of a voice, At War With Walls and Mazes sounds like the result of a talented composer trying his hardest to make a pop album and in turn failing and making something far more interesting and vital as a result.

Recently Son Lux recorded another album, We Are Rising. If you have read anything about this you are going to know at least something about how he recorded the whole thing within a month.Though this is impressive, time will tell if it ends up being the most impressive part of the album. I'm happy to announce that two weeks shy of the official release you can stream the whole album off of NPR.com. I have already given it a good few spins and  I am pleasantly surprised. He has managed to create something colourful, playful and moving. It is far less of a broody affair when compared to his début.  The orchestration and chord progressions are unmistakably of a Son Lux flavour right from the get go but it seems that the manner in which he got the performances out of the many musicians he worked with is what makes the difference. All the songs are rife with ideas and many of them feel impulsive and even unpolished in places but this gives the album a certain charm and honesty. Rather than hearing the meticulous and calculated sound of four years in a studio, On We Are Rising you are hearing the sounds of creatively charged collaborations. You can almost hear the enthusiasm the musicians must have felt in their booths after a good take.

Son Lux is definitely a musical force to watch so, if you haven't done so already, go give him a listen and decide for yourself.

http://www.npr.org/2011/04/10/135186830/first-listen-son-lux-we-are-rising

Listen.