SON LUX - TOMORROWS III
Son Lux round off their three-part series in style with Tomorrows III, the album settling into a feeling of clarity - like clouds departing after a cathartic storm.
Son Lux's Tomorrows III is the third installment of their Tomorrows trilogy; it's an ambitious, powerful piece of work which shows off the band's ability to connect musicality with a passionate impression of the world we live in. Altogether, the album is a beautiful listening experience which manages to be profound and transportive, as well as uniquely enjoyable.
The album starts very much as it means to go on: after a sweeping introduction, a procession of melodic strings calmly marches beneath a chaos of conflicting sounds and buzzing guitar riffs, all fighting to be heard. Overlaying multiple distinct, contrasting sounds, the music is allowed to explore beyond its own boundaries without becoming completely dissonant. It's a delicate balance that, through carefully skilled crafting, the album manages to maintain; as a result, you're thrown into an unpredictable dichotomy between the hard edges of a crackling industrial modernism, and the softer, lilting sounds of nature and tradition - keeping the past, present, and future in constant conversation.
It can be all too easy to make art entirely on the basis of 'doom and gloom' - in this case, blended sounds, as well as gentle vocals and lyrics are how Tomorrows III portrays and expresses itself as something deeper and more multifaceted than that. It explores the darkest realms of humanity 'tomorrow' without losing resonance to 'today'; evoking caution, reflection, and nostalgia all at once. What's impressive is that these distinctions exist between the lines of the music - Son Lux manage to draw upon the contrasts between sounds, rather than any one sound alone - all the while maintaining their rich musical integrity.
It's this range which gives Tomorrows III its broad, 360-degree scope; whilst you might expect it to dwell gratuitously on the future, sensitivity is preserved by looking through a vulnerable lens of human relationships against a backdrop of disruptive, harsh sound. Despite this, it's well-balanced by moments of softness and humility, intensifying the desperation of a world so eager to love. As a listener, you feel the momentum of this album shift throughout all 10 tracks, and Son Lux round off their three-part series in style as the ebbs and flows of intensity gradually find equilibrium in their final track, 'Vacancy'. Taking on a tamer, more direct sound, the tension begins to ease, and the album settles into a feeling of clarity - like clouds departing after a cathartic storm.
Isobel Johnson
★★★★☆