Album Review: Son Lux - Lanterns

Artist: Son LuxAlbum: LanternsSon Lux (aka Ryan Lott) spends a lot of time defying genre labels. Someone did him a tremendous disservice when they labeled his new album “Post-Rock” and “Hip hop.” Not to condemn either of those two genres in any way, but the type of album you would expect from them is much different than the album Son Lux created.The most radio friendly song on the album is “Lost It to Trying,” which makes Sufjan Steven’s influence on Son Lux so apparent that it feels like a bonus track off of The Age of Adz. “No Crimes” also stands out as an upbeat track with clear single potential. These two songs are much different from the rest of the album. The rest of Lanterns is made up of ambient, minimalist tracks, many of which are downright haunting.As a collection of songs, Lanterns is excellent. “Pyre” and “Plan the Escape” beg to be listened to again-and-again. The only real negatives to be found throughout the album are the lyrics, which are largely forgettable, and the lack of a true sense of cohesion. The production is excellent and none of the songs should be skipped, but it’s difficult to say the album needs to be listened to in order or even all at once. Rating (by pizza size):10″ (small pie)12″ (medium pie)14″ (large pie)16″ (X-large pie)18″ (Really big pizza)