London – Born out of experiences from an extensive bout of touring on the back of its stellar 2013 debut album, Wildewoman, the 2016 follow-up Good Grief by Brooklyn five-piece Lucius, is as individual as its predecessor. There’s a stylishness to co-founders Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig’s music and aesthetic that defines the essence of Lucius; a gloss that is never superficial but rather thought-provoking. It is evidenced in the playful duality of the album cover which shows Wolfe embracing an invisible figure. It might be a lover, a band member, her vocal partner, or perhaps it’s just the darkness that comes from separation. The message may be open-ended, but this is a record that fans of tightly-woven vocals and ever inventive instrumentation will want to embrace, as Wolfe and Laessig switch from powerhouse unison singing to the kind of harmonies that would not be out of place on a First Aid Kit album.
Opening with a challenge to sanity, in the shape of the nightmare-informed “Madness,” a sense of mood and purpose grips you and keeps you connected throughout the record. The song’s deceptively gentle opening scarcely prepares you for the full-bloodied chorus and a majestic orchestral build towards the end. The synths may hint at the 80’s, but there is always a contemporary twist to these songs. Many are imbued with an epic feel, aided by robust production values, but equally resulting from the underpinning strength of the songwriting; “What We Have (To Change)” with its imagery of mountains, canyons and oceans to be overcome, being a prime example.
Such is the cohesiveness that the two singers, backed by multi-instrumentalists Andrew Burri, Peter Lalish, and Dan Molad, bring to the party. You imagine them all to be bosom buddies, drawn ever closer by the shared experiences of life on tour. Paradoxically “Gone Insane” suggests an implosion, and the two girls’ increasingly raw repetition of the title refrain, that takes up most of the second half of the song, is genuinely as disquieting as it may have been cathartic. With such passages of emotional intensity, it’s almost necessity that songs like the adrenalin-charged “Born Again Teen” and neo-funky “Almighty Gosh” are mixed in, to act as tension busters and help place relationships back on track.
The record closes with “Dusty Trails,” a nicely downbeat song that evens out the rollercoaster of “life on the road” experiences. The country flavour offers a come-down after the vibrant rhythms, and the skittish electronica and vocal euphoria have all dissipated. From the opening line, “We’ve been gone for such a long time that I’m almost afraid to go home,” to the closing thought “Everyone’s around right now and I’m still alone,” the sense is that of being on your own, in a crowd. That might sound sad, yet overall this Lucius album delivers more of the good with less of the grief.
Good Grief is out now. Lucius is currently touring North America and will begin a European tour on April 5th in Dublin, ROI.
Photo Credit: Piper Ferguson
Tony Hardy
Tony’s great passion in life is music and nothing gives him more pleasure than unearthing good, original new music and championing independent musicians. His association with Best New Bands brings great opportunities for this. He also writes for Consequence of Sound and is a judge for Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition.
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