Style: Mysterious electronica meets free jazz; compare to Radiohead, Flying Lotus, Bibio
Top tracks: “Let Go,” “All the Right Things,” “Flickers”
In response to a creative challenge issued by NPR, Ryan Lott wrote and recorded his second Son Lux album in just 28 days—but listening to the thing, you’d never know he did the whole thing under the gun. Its structures are even more complex than those on his mesmerizing debut, and the range of influence is expanded to include electronics, modern classical, and even free jazz. The slapdash recording sessions yield a warmer, more spontaneous sound, but the songs themselves are still like riddlesome, tightly-constructed mantras. “All the Right Things” acknowledges doubt but asks for “a tale … I can hold in my hands when I pray.” “Leave the Riches” invites holy devastation, and the suite of “Chase,” “Claws,” and “Let Go” could be about two lovers, a believer wrestling with worldly temptations, or even the Divine in pursuit of his beloved.
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