Lydia - Illuminate
Apr. 2nd, 2008 03:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urgencytobleedLydia
Illuminate
Illuminate
With the release of their impressive debut, This December; It's One More and I'm Free, Lydia flew mostly under the radar. If there's anything right in the world (and there probably isn't), their even more impressive sophomore effort, Illuminate, should cause the music-listening masses to look up and pay a bit more attention to this young band - and not just because of the less pretentious album title. There are a lot of similarities between the two: almost all of the songs flow quite seamlessly into each other, creating a single atmosphere that envelops the entire album; the instrumentation is layered, dreamy, and calming but far from boring; Leighton Antelman's unique breathy vocals tie everything together and are complimented perfectly by strategically placed ethereal female background vocals (though that job has changed hands since the debut; Maria Sais De Sicilia has been replaced by Mindy White). These reasons are why Illuminate is such an amazing album; it has all of the best aspects of This December, only magnified a thousand times, the formula perfected. The instrumentation and songwriting is tighter, the vocals are more refined, and the songs manage to be both more connected to each other and more unique on their own than they were on the debut. Illuminate is not only an enjoyable listening experience, it takes you over entirely until you're lost in the dream-like world its songs create. Not many bands can create an album that is so flawless and cohesive that it practically demands to be listened to in full every single time, but Lydia does this with an impressive maturity and depth that betrays the members' young ages.
Because of the focus that's put on the songs as one uninterrupted piece of music, it's extremely hard to pick favorites and even harder to describe accurately what makes each song so instantly memorable. Even after multiple listens, instead of separating into groups of "very good" and "not so good", the songs instead become even more attached to each other, until it's hard to remember why you might love one more than the other; they all become nearly equal in their ability to make a lasting impression. For some bands, this quality of everything melting together might be considered a flaw, but for Lydia, it is one of the biggest reasons why their music is so refreshing. Just when you think that you've reached a song that doesn't quite match the rest in quality, it suddenly surprises you with a completely mindblowing chorus or instrumental build-up, easily becoming yet another highlight. Illuminate is full of moments like these that leave you absolutely speechless with their beauty. These songs are so well constructed and executed that the magic easily lasts through five, ten, fifty listens without losing any of that original shock and awe.
The songs are not only similar musically, but they also hold a lot of the same themes lyrically. The most prominent references seem to be to sleeping, waking, and otherwise related ideas. Aside from the obvious titles of "I Woke Up Near the Sea", "Sleep Well", and "Stay Awake", similar lyrics appear in almost every other song on the album as well, from "Hospital" ("I've been sleeping with this silence in my mind") to "Fate" ("It's just I can't seem to fall asleep these days") to "All I See" ("You are the neverending sleep"). There are also multiple references to staying, mostly pleas to a lover not to leave, peppered throughout the record, from "A Fine Evening for a Rogue" ("I wasn't sure that I would be staying") to "I Woke Up Near the Sea" ("Please don't ever leave me here") to "One More Day" ("I'd stay if I ever could") to "Now the One You Once Loved Is Leaving" ("Stay for me"). The revisiting of thoughts like these helps tie the songs together on an even deeper level; they're the kind of things you don't notice until after multiple listens and once they click, it's highly rewarding to the listener.
The vocals are also extremely memorable and much more developed than they were on This December, where Leighton's voice sometimes veered towards annoying and hard to listen to. Here, he displays a fairly impressive amount of control and versatility. He can easily handle the big, dramatic choruses of songs like "I Woke Up Near the Sea", "Hospital", and "One More Day" while also taking on the softer, more thoughtful moments in "Fate" and "All I See". Mindy's simple and unadorned vocal delivery also impresses, whether she's providing high ghostly background vocals ("This Is Twice Now", "Fate") or confidently taking the lead ("Sleep Well", "Now the One You Once Loved Is Leaving"). The two voices are very different but mesh perfectly, creating an extremely lush and layered soundscape within each song.
As hard (and painful) as it is to single out certain songs, it has to be done. "This Is Twice Now" opens with a misleadingly whimsical and bright piano line before launching full-force into the main melody quite suddenly and forcefully. It's one of the simpler, more straight-forward tracks and is most notable for the gorgeous harmonizing between Leighton and Mindy, especially at the end, as they weave together two conflicting melodies with seemingly little effort. "I Woke Up Near the Sea" starts with some relatively calm and mellow vocals before flawlessly launching into a loud, rich, soaring chorus of "It turns out you were into yourself/It turns out you could fuck your way out." This then transitions seamlessly into "Hospital", another obvious standout, with its heavy instrumentation, slightly distorted vocals, and one of the album's most memorable epic choruses. It also features a brief but extremely beautiful vocal cameo from Copeland's Aaron Marsh. On the second half, "Stay Awake" and "One More Day" are some of the heaviest tracks, with a lot of instrumental build-up and expressive, intense vocals. The latter especially is mindblowing, containing the album's most impressive guitar work and an extremely dense and urgent atmosphere.
Then there's "Now the One You Once Loved Is Leaving", the epic six-and-a-half minute closer that is very possibly the best song and definitely wraps up the album on a high note. It is the one track that features Mindy's vocals very prominently and does so to good effect, bringing to mind the one thing that could be improved upon on the entire album: more time and attention given to her lovely voice. The song starts off with a haunting, sinister yet sweet piano melody that is built upon with some stellar guitar work and the sincere, honest delivery of both singers until it culminates in the lullaby-esque, otherworldly bridge: "Suddenly, a cloud must have cut a hole in my head/When I was tangled all in your words/How quick to forget we are/With eyes unimpressed, you're sealing the conversations/And are you wondering how things could be/Just staring at the surface/When all the walls have tendencies/But it's not your fault when no one taught you how/And now the one you once loved is leaving." It fades out with the repeating of the title line, leaving the listener's mind completely blown and starting the process of repeating the album over once again - since it's practically impossible to not want more after such a gem.
The fact is that every single one of Illuminate's eleven tracks is absolutely necessary to the flow of the album. Not one could be considered even close to mediocre, which is quite a monumental feat. This is probably due to the way they are presented, with the end of each track warping into the beginning of the next, with no room to rest in between and no chance to really consider which track is better, since they're nearly one and the same. This impressive cohesiveness is the album's most endearing quality. This album was made to be listened to as a whole, not simply a few catchy singles placed between a bunch of less-interesting filler, which is something that has been hard to come by in the past couple of years. Lydia is making truly unique and individual music that can't be compared very easily to any other band and it's a shame that they've received hardly any fanfare in the grand scheme of things, but it's not surprising - it seems that more often than not the best bands are also the best kept secrets.
For fans of: Eisley, Straylight Run, The Hush Sound, Copeland
I tried, but it's impossible to find words grand enough to aptly describe just how perfect this album is. This review doesn't even come close to translating how these songs make me feel. Seriously, people - if you only download one song on this entire page of entries, make it "Now the One You Once Loved Is Leaving". Your ears will thank you and then they will beg you to download the rest of these tracks as well. And also, if you love these and want to hear the entire album, please seriously consider purchasing it. This band needs all the support they can get and I promise, the rest is just as good; you will not be disappointed.
Because of the focus that's put on the songs as one uninterrupted piece of music, it's extremely hard to pick favorites and even harder to describe accurately what makes each song so instantly memorable. Even after multiple listens, instead of separating into groups of "very good" and "not so good", the songs instead become even more attached to each other, until it's hard to remember why you might love one more than the other; they all become nearly equal in their ability to make a lasting impression. For some bands, this quality of everything melting together might be considered a flaw, but for Lydia, it is one of the biggest reasons why their music is so refreshing. Just when you think that you've reached a song that doesn't quite match the rest in quality, it suddenly surprises you with a completely mindblowing chorus or instrumental build-up, easily becoming yet another highlight. Illuminate is full of moments like these that leave you absolutely speechless with their beauty. These songs are so well constructed and executed that the magic easily lasts through five, ten, fifty listens without losing any of that original shock and awe.
The songs are not only similar musically, but they also hold a lot of the same themes lyrically. The most prominent references seem to be to sleeping, waking, and otherwise related ideas. Aside from the obvious titles of "I Woke Up Near the Sea", "Sleep Well", and "Stay Awake", similar lyrics appear in almost every other song on the album as well, from "Hospital" ("I've been sleeping with this silence in my mind") to "Fate" ("It's just I can't seem to fall asleep these days") to "All I See" ("You are the neverending sleep"). There are also multiple references to staying, mostly pleas to a lover not to leave, peppered throughout the record, from "A Fine Evening for a Rogue" ("I wasn't sure that I would be staying") to "I Woke Up Near the Sea" ("Please don't ever leave me here") to "One More Day" ("I'd stay if I ever could") to "Now the One You Once Loved Is Leaving" ("Stay for me"). The revisiting of thoughts like these helps tie the songs together on an even deeper level; they're the kind of things you don't notice until after multiple listens and once they click, it's highly rewarding to the listener.
The vocals are also extremely memorable and much more developed than they were on This December, where Leighton's voice sometimes veered towards annoying and hard to listen to. Here, he displays a fairly impressive amount of control and versatility. He can easily handle the big, dramatic choruses of songs like "I Woke Up Near the Sea", "Hospital", and "One More Day" while also taking on the softer, more thoughtful moments in "Fate" and "All I See". Mindy's simple and unadorned vocal delivery also impresses, whether she's providing high ghostly background vocals ("This Is Twice Now", "Fate") or confidently taking the lead ("Sleep Well", "Now the One You Once Loved Is Leaving"). The two voices are very different but mesh perfectly, creating an extremely lush and layered soundscape within each song.
As hard (and painful) as it is to single out certain songs, it has to be done. "This Is Twice Now" opens with a misleadingly whimsical and bright piano line before launching full-force into the main melody quite suddenly and forcefully. It's one of the simpler, more straight-forward tracks and is most notable for the gorgeous harmonizing between Leighton and Mindy, especially at the end, as they weave together two conflicting melodies with seemingly little effort. "I Woke Up Near the Sea" starts with some relatively calm and mellow vocals before flawlessly launching into a loud, rich, soaring chorus of "It turns out you were into yourself/It turns out you could fuck your way out." This then transitions seamlessly into "Hospital", another obvious standout, with its heavy instrumentation, slightly distorted vocals, and one of the album's most memorable epic choruses. It also features a brief but extremely beautiful vocal cameo from Copeland's Aaron Marsh. On the second half, "Stay Awake" and "One More Day" are some of the heaviest tracks, with a lot of instrumental build-up and expressive, intense vocals. The latter especially is mindblowing, containing the album's most impressive guitar work and an extremely dense and urgent atmosphere.
Then there's "Now the One You Once Loved Is Leaving", the epic six-and-a-half minute closer that is very possibly the best song and definitely wraps up the album on a high note. It is the one track that features Mindy's vocals very prominently and does so to good effect, bringing to mind the one thing that could be improved upon on the entire album: more time and attention given to her lovely voice. The song starts off with a haunting, sinister yet sweet piano melody that is built upon with some stellar guitar work and the sincere, honest delivery of both singers until it culminates in the lullaby-esque, otherworldly bridge: "Suddenly, a cloud must have cut a hole in my head/When I was tangled all in your words/How quick to forget we are/With eyes unimpressed, you're sealing the conversations/And are you wondering how things could be/Just staring at the surface/When all the walls have tendencies/But it's not your fault when no one taught you how/And now the one you once loved is leaving." It fades out with the repeating of the title line, leaving the listener's mind completely blown and starting the process of repeating the album over once again - since it's practically impossible to not want more after such a gem.
The fact is that every single one of Illuminate's eleven tracks is absolutely necessary to the flow of the album. Not one could be considered even close to mediocre, which is quite a monumental feat. This is probably due to the way they are presented, with the end of each track warping into the beginning of the next, with no room to rest in between and no chance to really consider which track is better, since they're nearly one and the same. This impressive cohesiveness is the album's most endearing quality. This album was made to be listened to as a whole, not simply a few catchy singles placed between a bunch of less-interesting filler, which is something that has been hard to come by in the past couple of years. Lydia is making truly unique and individual music that can't be compared very easily to any other band and it's a shame that they've received hardly any fanfare in the grand scheme of things, but it's not surprising - it seems that more often than not the best bands are also the best kept secrets.
For fans of: Eisley, Straylight Run, The Hush Sound, Copeland
I tried, but it's impossible to find words grand enough to aptly describe just how perfect this album is. This review doesn't even come close to translating how these songs make me feel. Seriously, people - if you only download one song on this entire page of entries, make it "Now the One You Once Loved Is Leaving". Your ears will thank you and then they will beg you to download the rest of these tracks as well. And also, if you love these and want to hear the entire album, please seriously consider purchasing it. This band needs all the support they can get and I promise, the rest is just as good; you will not be disappointed.
