Last year, Son Lux released an ornate masterpiece. You'd be forgiven for not initially picking up on this cluster-bomb of beautifully complex compositions (or what the press release calls "Orchestral Pop"), that had plumes of warm vocals and synths that rummage in those places where Sufjan Steven's has been hanging out of late, which is hardly surprising that they do the SISYPHUS project together (skip to the end of tunes). As the weeks have gone by, Lanterns (9/10 DiS review + album stream) has picked up word of mouth praise and with repeated listens the record has revealed itself to be one of 2013's finest.
Today, the latest slice of the album hits the web with the above dark and intense video. The visuals make the music seem far less playful and It may require a trigger-warning, as it seems like a tale of
Here's what the folks involved had to say about it:
Ryan(SON LUX) on the song/video:
"The past is a type of reality that haunts the present, and the film's story and imagery evokes this feeling beautifully."
Notes from The Directors, Truman & Cooper:
1) What matters for us are the true emotions. The song is so powerful that we wanted to push the actors to the edge to get a strong relationship, especially in the dark moments. We chose the actors partly because they knew each other for a long time so it was a bit easier for them to be really intense in a short amount of time.
2) The film was shot last December in Normandy. We really wanted to situate the story in a moody, bleak and hazy environment. We love the off season atmosphere over there, its really melancholic. We think that watching the couple wander in this environment would reinforce the feeling of loneliness and would give more weight to their relationship.
Lanterns is Son Lux aka Ryan Lott's third full-length album, and his first for Joyful Noise (Kishi Bashi, Sebadoh, etc.) is out now. An impressive ensemble of instrumentalists and singers, were involved in the new album including Chris Thile (The Punch Brothers), Peter Silberman (The Antlers), DM Stith, Lily & Madeleine, Darren King (Mutemath), Ieva Berberian (Gem Club) and yMusic (Dirty Projectors, Bon Iver).
Live Dates
Catch Sun Lux on his upcoming dates...
January 2013
30th Helsinki Kuudes Linja
31st Copenhagen Stengade
May 2013
21st London XOYO (Tickets)
22nd Lorient Nuits Soniques Festival - Le Manège
24th Brussels Les Nuits Botanique Festival, Orangerie
25th Amsterdam Tolhuistuin
26th Paris Le Café de la Danse
27th Strasbourg La Laiterie
28th Metz Les Trinitaires
29th Hamburg Way Back When Festival
31st Mannheim Maifeld Derby Festival
June 2013
3rd Glasgow Broadcast
4th Leeds The Wardrobe
5th Bristol Exchange
6th Manchester Deaf Institute
7th Athens Plissken Festival