Son Lux

Son Lux, the ever fluid vehicle for the multi-talented New Yorker Ryan Lott, delivers an intriguing, imaginative and all together inspired fourth album, 'Bones'. Ryan, musician, writer, soundtrack creator and ad scorer, has collaborated with many people since his arrival on the music scene in 2007. Last year saw him team up with Lorde (amongst others) on 'Easy', and he continues to be actively involved on the triumvirate venture with Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti, 'Sisyphus'. With 'Bones', however, Ryan Lott is no longer just collaborating or merely working with an artist and as such his Son Lux name is now that of the band, being joined as he is by guitarist Rafiq Bhatia and drummer Ian Chang. 

The differences the new additions have made are subtle but, on the whole, positive. 'Bones' is a very cohesive body of work that certainly feels fuller and slightly more approachable than some of Son Lux's previous work. None of it is particularly immediate or commercial, but it is a thoroughly captivating curiosity.

The compositions are never formulaic, they are challenging and brilliantly creative, they don't drift past in the background, they require your utmost attention and your unwavering focus. The music is, at times, jagged and angular, harsh, surprising and arresting ('Change Is Everything') but at others tender, delicate and even soulful ('Flight' and 'I am The Others'). Classical passages and string sections ('Breathe Out') vie for airtime with angelic or terrified vocals whilst the music is punctuated with rhythmic hybrids ('This Time' and 'Undone'), injections of electronica and semi-industrial white noise. If that were not enough, guest vocalists, among them Daughter's Elena Tonra on 'White Lies', provide still further interest.

Continue reading: Son Lux - Bones Album Review

Given their heritage, it would be easy to assume that Gallic fashion house Kitsuné would be "Into" the sort of soul-sucking EDM you'd associate with catwalks: via this series and, more frequently, its Europhile sister imprint, they've, however, unearthed more than their fair share of pop mavericks from around the globe over the years.

A compilation itself is like a box of chocolates of course, but in the third instalment of their  American version, 'Kitsune America 3', much of the good flavours seems to have gone. On opener 'Karma', NYC-based duo Beau bring something of a spaghetti western touch to their sweet tale of wished-for revenge, sounding not unlike their neighbours Lucius, whilst Sunni Colon's auto-tuned harmonies on the otherwise uneventful soul balladry of '1000 Roses' narrowly help to avoid the feeling it was salvaged from the talent show dustbin.  

At times, you feel that in their obvious haste for artist diversity the compilers have fallen into the trap of focussing on the sound and not the songs, the result being a series of tussles with generics as opposed to fresh talent which is also doing new things. This slip up means that Navvi's plodding closer 'Speak' is more sleep inducing that the dream pop it aims to be and Misun's girl-band chirping on 'Eli Eli' grates. But the biggest turn-off comes via Brenmar's 'Medusa', a more by-the-numbers rip off of The Weeknd you're less likely to clock from San Francisco to Miami.

Continue reading: Various Artists - Kitsune America 3 Album Review