This week I wanted a new musical obsession and listened to Lux Prima on continuous repeat. I listened to it about a year ago on a recommendation from an online music site. I lost count this week after the 13th or 14th listen and I haven't regretted it once. I listened to it so much that I was already hearing the next track in my mind while the previous track was fading out.
Lux Prima is the 2019 collaborative effort from former Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer Karen O (Karen Lee Orzolek) and producer Danger Mouse (Brian Joseph Burton).
Observed Influences
After several full listens, I started to notice a few (possible) influences emerge. It would be interesting to know if these were some of their influences but the two immediate ones I can hear offhand appear to be old school Motown and The Moody Blues.
The bold, driving stomp of drums/tambourine on "Woman" drives the song through all 2:54 of the track and is reminiscent of early Motown (c.f. "Nowhere To Run" by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas and "Where Did Our Love Go" by The Supremes). The same opening for "Leopard’s Tongue" feels right at home next to any number of earlier Motown hits as well.
"Nox Lumina," the album's last track, not only has a Moody Blues sound similar to the track "Evening" from their 1967 album Days of Future Passed, but also follows the overall middle-Eastern tinged tone that they accomplished on that track.
Danger Mouse's Production
Burton’s excellent production is very much the anchor of this work both in its overall sound but also in his arrangements and instrumentation.
One of several reasons why I was able to soak in this album, is because of its overall fluidity and instrumental density. Burton does a masterful job with his production but also with the overall blending and mixing of natural and synthetic instruments. With this he creates an atmosphere for us to explore and dream within the confines of our own individual headspace. That same atmosphere gives Karen O her plot of 'terra firma' and space for her voice to croon, yelp, swell, or channel her Motown diva.
For those who may be familiar with Rome, Burton's 2011 collaboration with Italian composer Daniele Luppi, you can hear similarities here that are also present on Rome. Luppi reprises some of his key musical functions on Lux Prima. He is credited here mainly for string arrangements and several themes start to stand out here after a few listens that can also be heard on Rome.
From both a production and musical standpoint, the album is a treat to listen to. Some of the tracks are more musically sparse and straightforward. Others are intentionally more dense with layers and sounds so that I hear another nuance or instrument with each successive listen.
When listening to the more straightforward tracks, My ears can single out the sparseness of certain instruments while at the same time being able to hear Karen O's voice more intimately.
The more dense selections are like diving into a colorful painting and being able to examine each paint stroke while still being able to step back and look at the larger picture simultaneously.
Karen's vocals are versatile and they are what round out the production value of the album. Her voice is very adaptive and to that effect, she can morph into more than one type of vocalist on a number of these tracks.
Her vocals on "Ministry" are gentle and ethereal dusted with reverb, slightly breathy, and supported alongside her by crescendos of synths.
"Redeemer" starts with slightly sultry vocals crossing over to an underlying assertive anger when she growls the chorus in staccato:
"You're not coming for me, I'm coming for you..."
The second to last track, "Reveries" is sung as a soothing lullaby in a cooing croon just slightly above a whisper accompanied by a gently strummed electric guitar of some sort.
Readers: Have you listened to this album before? Do you have a favorite collaborative album between singer and producer? Leave your response in the comment section here. Let's start a discussion!
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