This album starts off with “Forty Screams”, and it’s a very whimsical, spacey start. But I honestly love just how bizarre and futuristic and strange this comes off. While yes, I’m still not exactly the biggest fan of vocalist Ryan Lott, but if they’re going to be going for this completely over-the-top, spacey electronic sound, this isn’t that bad of an intro. The production as always is charming and the instrumentals which are used so sparingly are actually really exciting. I love how dramatic this tune is, I honestly have never heard Son Lux with this much emotion and power. Am I going to come back to this again and again? Well no, but honestly this is certainly a very valiant and interesting intro. Up next is “Dream State”, and let’s talk about the pros and cons of this. I actually really love how busy and colorful this track is, and just how colorful and in your face this instrumental gets. But my friends, these vocals have officially broken me. Between the shaky verses and these Imagine Dragons powered “WHOAS” at the chorus, this is 100% what I’m not interested in hearing. It’s colorful and well produced, but I’ve been saying that about Son Lux for years. It’s everything else about this one that just doesn’t sit well with me. The vocals get even more annoying as this one rolls on. I just have nothing good to say about this. And remember how happy I was that there was more emotion in these tracks? Even THAT’s getting annoying. Now, I have to give credit where it’s due, Son Lux is certainly carrying on with the very emotional sound they were working with earlier. But with “Labor” it’s slowly getting more and more obnoxious and seriously awkward with all of this very spacey production blaring in. There are some pretty moments, but all of that emotion from earlier just seems to be not coming off nearly as powerful. Ryan’s more bluesy and dreary performance is just sucking the life out of me completely. The vocal effects are more cheesy than anything, and I’m just getting this feeling that Son Lux think this album is just so much bigger than it really is. “Labor” is way too spacious, boring, and drawn out. Now, call me absolutely nuts, but the heavier and groovier and legitimately bizarre tones of “The Fool You Need” is scratching all the right itches. The production here is just so glitchy and interesting. It’s not an easy to digest tune at all, and Ryan’s performance is far from perfect. But in a weird way, this almost reminds me of early James Blake. It’s a seriously ghoulish and haunting performance, with some genuinely adventurous production choices. It just sorts of legitimizes this sound and makes it all seem so much less shallow. “The Fool You Need” is a seriously interesting, almost jazzy tune.
Now, I’ll give Son Lux this, “Slowly” is certainly more playful than some of the other songs here. But some of the pauses here are incredibly awkward, and the pacing is ridiculously off. I just don’t know what to do with these tracks. Plus, we get the always very shaky vocals of Ryan which are still doing nothing for me. And while this is a little more playful which I thought I was fine with, everything else here is lifeless and incredibly awkward. Not to mention, the production is so tame here. This album continues to be all over the place. “All Directions” is up next, and once again, this is just so freakin’ slow that it’s sucking the energy out of me. However, I once again really love a lot of the wonky production here, and the heavy vocal effects are again really tasteful. It’s moments like this that Son Lux come off actually really adventurous. And once again, the sheer drama behind this track is just so likable. Son Lux at times really show incredibly flashes of brilliance. And while, yes, this track probably didn’t need to be nearly 7 minutes long, I love just how delicate this all is. With “Aquatic”, I still feel like Son Lux continue to bring together some really nice atmospheres. But that’s immediately broken up and destroyed by Ryan’s very nasally, intrusive vocals. I’m just so exhausted listening to these tracks. I’m always up for a slow burner or a beautiful 5-minute ballad. But this is neither. This is literally just a very bland backdrop with Ryan’s vocals over them, which, newsflash, really aren't very good. Every once in a while we get an interesting instrumental or some glossy production. But as a complete picture, this album is falling apart by the minute. But out of nowhere we get “Surrounded”. What’s this? Is this actually some intense and interesting instrumentation. I don’t buy it for one minute. Just kidding, this track is actually incredible. I love the pulsating drums here as well as the intense beat. On this one, Son Lux’s wild production and colorful instrumentals actually come off as daring. I absolutely love “Surrounded”. It’s seemingly wild and out of control and the instrumentals constantly blaring in and out are easily some of the most exciting moments here.
This album begins to wind down with “Young”. And to be honest, I actually do enjoy the mystery of this track quite a bit. And as far as Ryan’s vocals go, I think this may be his best performance here. But why is this track only a minute long? There are some seriously great ideas here, I just don’t get it. And then we have “Resurrection”, and all I have to say is what the hell is this? Muffling Ryan’s vocals are doing absolutely nothing for me but making them even more awkward than they already are. And the very quiet sounds all around here just aren’t flattering at all. There are moments here that come off as sort of pretty, but way too much of this track is massively underwritten. It’s not experimental or edgy, it’s just seriously annoying. And as it goes on and just get’s weirder and weirder, things just get more intolerable. Maybe I’m missing something, but Son Lux still do nothing for me.
Rating: 6.4/10
Give A Listen To: "Forty Screams", "The Fool You Need", "All Directions", "Surrounded"
Genre: Electronic / Trip Hop
Overall Thoughts: Once again, I can't shake the feeling that I'm seriously missing something when it comes to Son Lux. There may be moments here where the production comes off pristine of the instrumentals are exciting. But way too much of this album is incredibly awkward. There are too many strange vocals, unfinished thoughts, and straight-up boring material. Even when Son Lux do somehow scrape up an interesting sound, they answer it quickly with tons of obnoxious ones. There's a very thin line between daring and annoying, and this album is the latter.
Now, I’ll give Son Lux this, “Slowly” is certainly more playful than some of the other songs here. But some of the pauses here are incredibly awkward, and the pacing is ridiculously off. I just don’t know what to do with these tracks. Plus, we get the always very shaky vocals of Ryan which are still doing nothing for me. And while this is a little more playful which I thought I was fine with, everything else here is lifeless and incredibly awkward. Not to mention, the production is so tame here. This album continues to be all over the place. “All Directions” is up next, and once again, this is just so freakin’ slow that it’s sucking the energy out of me. However, I once again really love a lot of the wonky production here, and the heavy vocal effects are again really tasteful. It’s moments like this that Son Lux come off actually really adventurous. And once again, the sheer drama behind this track is just so likable. Son Lux at times really show incredibly flashes of brilliance. And while, yes, this track probably didn’t need to be nearly 7 minutes long, I love just how delicate this all is. With “Aquatic”, I still feel like Son Lux continue to bring together some really nice atmospheres. But that’s immediately broken up and destroyed by Ryan’s very nasally, intrusive vocals. I’m just so exhausted listening to these tracks. I’m always up for a slow burner or a beautiful 5-minute ballad. But this is neither. This is literally just a very bland backdrop with Ryan’s vocals over them, which, newsflash, really aren't very good. Every once in a while we get an interesting instrumental or some glossy production. But as a complete picture, this album is falling apart by the minute. But out of nowhere we get “Surrounded”. What’s this? Is this actually some intense and interesting instrumentation. I don’t buy it for one minute. Just kidding, this track is actually incredible. I love the pulsating drums here as well as the intense beat. On this one, Son Lux’s wild production and colorful instrumentals actually come off as daring. I absolutely love “Surrounded”. It’s seemingly wild and out of control and the instrumentals constantly blaring in and out are easily some of the most exciting moments here.
This album begins to wind down with “Young”. And to be honest, I actually do enjoy the mystery of this track quite a bit. And as far as Ryan’s vocals go, I think this may be his best performance here. But why is this track only a minute long? There are some seriously great ideas here, I just don’t get it. And then we have “Resurrection”, and all I have to say is what the hell is this? Muffling Ryan’s vocals are doing absolutely nothing for me but making them even more awkward than they already are. And the very quiet sounds all around here just aren’t flattering at all. There are moments here that come off as sort of pretty, but way too much of this track is massively underwritten. It’s not experimental or edgy, it’s just seriously annoying. And as it goes on and just get’s weirder and weirder, things just get more intolerable. Maybe I’m missing something, but Son Lux still do nothing for me.
Rating: 6.4/10
Give A Listen To: "Forty Screams", "The Fool You Need", "All Directions", "Surrounded"
Genre: Electronic / Trip Hop
Overall Thoughts: Once again, I can't shake the feeling that I'm seriously missing something when it comes to Son Lux. There may be moments here where the production comes off pristine of the instrumentals are exciting. But way too much of this album is incredibly awkward. There are too many strange vocals, unfinished thoughts, and straight-up boring material. Even when Son Lux do somehow scrape up an interesting sound, they answer it quickly with tons of obnoxious ones. There's a very thin line between daring and annoying, and this album is the latter.
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