Son Lux - At War With Walls & Mazes

Son Lux is the moniker of New York based musician, Ryan Lott. By day he writes music for tv/radio ads as well as dance companies, but he has more than that up his sleeve. Lott's debut album, At War With Walls & Mazes, took four years to birth, and was well worth the wait. It was essentially all recorded by him in his apartment. His classical training blends seamlessly with his love for hip hop production and beats.




The album is 11 tracks and travels to so many places in that time. There is a narrative arc in the structure, but no real story to my knowledge. Lott's voice is soft and tender while managing to stay evocative. His stylistic preferences are quite a mix. There are strong classical elements with the frequent inclusion of strings, woodwinds and piano (see the last half of "Stay"). There is a definite hip-hop undertone in the beats, rhythms and production style (see the first minute of "Break," who's spastic, splintering drum beats sound like DJ Shadow's "The Number Song"). There are the clear signs of electronica in the glitches of "Wither" or "Raise" (either of which could easily be tracks from Thom Yorke's The Eraser). There are jazzy and soulful moments (see the 1:08 mark in "Stay" where a fractured tinny organ sweeps in). There are even ambient moments (see "Tell"). Despite all these styles and influences, the record is never bloated or boring. His style is unmistakable and this album is one of the best debut albums I have ever heard. Lott's obviously knew exactly what he wanted to create, and he made no compromises in making it happen. I am posting his beautiful music videos:






Everything I have seen or heard with his name on it is of the highest quality. Music videos for the songs are visually stunning and perfect companions to the tracks.



Below there are links to Son Lux's official blog and MySpace. The blog has a whole ton of free extra tracks from his album as well as tons of excellent remixes including Beirut and Radiohead. But before we get to that (and a link to the album) I am posting a live acoustic and very jazzy version of "Stay." It is a gorgeous performance, and vastly different imagining of the song than the album version. I didn't realize that his voice really sounds like this. After the song he stands up and hugs Yoni Wolf of Why? Enjoy.





Son Lux - At War With Walls & Mazes - Try it
Son Lux At War With Walls & Mazes - Buy it
Son Lux Blog
Son Lux MySpace