Son Lux - We Are Rising
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There is an annual creative challenge held in February called “The RPM Challenge.” Within this limited timeframe, musicians are invited to make an entire album (10 songs or 35 minutes in length), from a simple tape recording to a full-blown studio production. The rules permit using material written before February, but some are daring enough to conceptualize and complete a batch of nothing but new material for the project. Son Lux (aka Ryan Lott) was busy with his day job and working on his sophomore album when NPR asked if he’d accept the challenge. Not only was he bold enough to accept, he also scrapped all the material he had been laboring over for the sophomore album. We Are Rising is a product of both The RPM Challenge and one man’s inspiring, unflinching determination to transform an ambitious idea into an awe-inspiring reality.
When you listen through We Are Rising, it’s unbelievable to think Lott lacked the luxury of time. Not only is the album full of high production value, it’s a compelling body of work, as well, that pairs its narrative with a sonic backdrop that supports and enhances its poeticism. What’s more, the strength of We Are Rising truly lies in the fact that Lott wrote, produced, and recorded the album in 28 days, and, yet, it sounds as though it was something that resulted from years of pent up emotions and reflections; it sounds like something that was labored over for more than just the handful of weeks that make up the shortest month of the year. Clearly, working under pressure drove Lott to develop the keenest ear, musical eye, and focus. It’s because of this that We Are Rising stands as a sincere, detailed, and penetrating album.
From the digital fuzz and throb of synthesizers to the excited dance of woodwinds and stringed instruments, the dazzling, fantastical symphony of sounds that construct We Are Rising unite to not only give Lott a captivating presence, but another world entirely, as well. With a little help from the likes of My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden, The Antlers’ Peter Silberman, DM Smith, and Midlake, Lott manages to create songs that transcend the boundaries of mere emotional conveyance. Songs such as the graceful, heavenly “Flickers” and the distorted, discordant “Claws” speak of genuine human emotion inside the context of a world that Son Lux has dreamt up. Inside this atmosphere of We Are Rising is a marriage of reality and dreams, a narrative sewn out of overarching themes such as rebirth (“Rebuild”), love (“Flowers”), forgiveness (“All the Right Things”), and the human spirit (“Rising”).
All nine tracks could have easily suffered from a lack of detail considering their short incubation period, but that problem never arises in We Are Rising. “Flickers” is a perfect opener, just like casting off from shore in a small boat; it’s personal but expands to greater heights with its rich mix of strings, synth, and piano. “Leave the Riches” leaves its mark with a quiet chill and the magnetic harmonies of Jace Everett’s country-esque baritone and Shara Worden’s angelic voice. “Claws” creeps along with a deep synth rumble and shines with distorted waves of tremolo-heavy guitar. While it lyrically never goes anywhere, “Let Go” is of note, too, for its fluttering lines of woodwinds and apropos build up to album closer “Rebuild.”
We Are Rising certainly gets extra points for how quickly it was conceived and recorded, but, regardless of this feat, it is, simply put, a stunning and very impressive album of what would best be described as electro chamber pop. Ryan Lott proves himself to be both a creative composer and a man with an extensive vision for just how affecting sound can be. It’s an album that’s ambitious without a sliver of pretension, characterized by true humility and the beauty that lies in honesty. At its core, We Are Rising is a humbling ride through the universe that inconspicuously speaks to how, underneath it all, we’re all in this world – in this life – together, not alone.
We Are Rising is out now on Anticon.
Son Lux - "Rising"
Son Lux - "All the Right Things"
Son Lux
Official Site/Tumblr
Anticon
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