Weights And Measures More Than The Sum Of Its Parts
author: J.Stephen Brantley
It’s difficult to review a band like Lythion, because they simply don’t sound all that much like anything else. There is no way not to commend Ilyana Kadushin’s astonishingly rich and versatile vocals, of course. And the music of her husband and bandmate James Harrell is a Chinese box of sonic textures. It might well take a sommelier rather than a writer to describe the wild and varying aural flavors they manage to achieve in a mere five songs.
Lythion’s latest EP Weights And Measures offers up stunning vocals and gorgeous melodies, along with whistles, wind and swordplay, singing frogs and rolling surf. Fans of past Lythion outings won’t find a Cocky Prick here (you’re safe, men….mostly) as the duo seems to be rocking a more thoughtful line these days. The result is certainly no less enjoyable and, I think, far more satisfying, than anything they’ve done before.
Weights And Measures steps off into a territory of its own creation with the gently buoyant Joy Of Life. It’s a sonically layered lullaby for grownups in which the answer to life’s most difficult existential questions is simply yes, or rather, ‘okay’. Like a lot of Lythion’s work, Joy Of Life is deceptively simple. By the song’s end, the duo has burrowed deep in a plush nest of harmonies, crackle, strum and whistle. James Harrell’s lead vocals here are a happy surprise for Lythion fans who expect Kadushin’s voice at front and center. The combined singing of both is magical.
But it’s all Kadushin on the second cut, the fire-and-ice paean to desire, Sweet Ache. She achieves a call and response with herself: now reveling in the smoke and warmth of a lover’s ache, now commenting upon it from a cooler distance. Harrell’s neo-classical guitar and jazz piano accompaniment is soaring in itself. I would be remiss not to mention it. But the story of Kadushin’s voice is simply epic here. Seductive. Undeniable. It hurts so good.
The beginning of The Warrior is positively medieval, right down to the tolling bell. Even when its gentle but insistent pop-rock percussion kicks in, there is an echo of harpsichord and a glimmer of hearthside armor. At the song’s midpoint the song erupts in flamenco rhythm and Celtic drumming. Kadushin challenges her listeners like Black Agnes atop the castle walls while Harrell beats a battle tattoo at her side. Like all of Lythion’s best, it is a study in contrast. There is always poignancy behind the bravado, and this epic journey ends as so many do, tragically. Beached, and bruised beneath its chainmail.
The Reason ponders nothing less than the essence of creation, the nature of the universe, and the search for a genuine and incorruptible spirituality. Its title implies an answer to Harrell’s hard questions about how humanity could allow itself to, like ‘little lost sheep’ follow a less-than-protective shepherd into perpetual self-destruction. But the solution to life’s deeper quandaries does not come easily, or without some cost.
Ultimately Lythion seem to ascertain that a higher power is found in the seeking of it. Theirs is less a God of, than in, Creation itself. Even in the phantasmagorical rubble of The Reason there is a twinge of funk and the sweetest hint of a groove. However dire life’s straits - and there is a moment in this song that seems to represent the destruction of the world - there is always hope.
And the sound of hope is the song of Caribbean tree frogs. Brahma Bovine bookends Weights And Measures with another lilting late-night ride through the sweeter sides of life: reptiles in rainstorms, chance meetings, zen cows. Once again, the ease of this song, with its twangy guitar and raw country harmonies, belies much deeper meaning. As if in response to the previous song’s big question, this one asserts that the ‘house of God is found in nature.’ After all the drama, redemption comes acoustic.
Strictly for the purpose of reviewing Weights And Measures, one can hold Lythion up against other genre-defying – or at least genre-blending – male/female duos like Eurythmics, Goldfrapp, and The White Stripes. (I hope that Kadushin won’t mind too much if I compare her extraordinary vocal depth to that of Annie Lennox. Both have a way of soaring between extremes that makes my head swim and heart pound, all at once.) What makes the aforementioned duos so compelling is a kind of tension between its members. Each half always seems to be struggling, at least a bit, against the whole. Lythion is different. Harrell and Kadushin strike a genuine balance. Despite Harrell’s liner-note quote about each being willfully independent, they hit a remarkable harmony together. The above-mentioned acts took a very long time to find the kind of seasoned depth that Lythion achieve on their second outing. It’s as if they skipped the requisite mid-career dreck and went straight to the heart of what matters most in music.
For Lythion it’s not about how one’s disc is filed at megastores or what metatag hotbutton triggers the download of a hit MP3. James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin are more interested in what sort of sound they make in the world than how the world will choose to label it. It is worth noting that both are multi-disciplined artists. He does a good amount of film scoring, and she has an extensive background in theatre. The wide and varying interests of both, combined with what must be an insatiable curiosity for all things that marry analog to digital, results in a sound that not only defies the genre-classification of its parts, but actually transcends definition.
In this case, the sum of Lythion’s parts is wholly original and for all its many influences, it is undeniably new.
Read more...
author: AMEENAH KAPLAN
I assume that if I buy a Lythion album, I'll be getting a full sonic experience, and this album is no exception. First, I'm really glad that they revisited Duel to the Death. It was a great song originally, but the remix is even better. Most artists season with age, and the maturity in this new cut is unmistakable. It's as if they finally got to do it the way they wanted to all along. Thanks for that! Also, it's great to hear James more present on these tracks. He's got a great voice and it blends well with Ilyana while never taking focus from the voice that really encapsulates their style. Ilyana's distinctive tone and style are definitely among the most captivating things about Lythion's sound. The drum programming is also very cool on this record. As a drummer, I can be adverse to all midi sounds as it so often doesn't do the music justice (i.e. Sade's "Lover's Rock"), but James and Danny really took their time it seems and this attention to detail pays off big time. It's a great album to put on replay as it's not obtrusive and can match many moods. A pleasure.
Read more...
author: AMEENAH KAPLAN
What a great follow up to two previously cool and inventive albums. First off, I love the re-doing of Duel to the Death. It's clear they have been honing their skills--as all excellent artists do--and this remix is truly killer. Maybe it's how they intended the song to sound from the beginning. I'm glad they revisited it. It's a sonic treat. James and Ilyana are certainly not giving you a boring experience. They clearly put a lot of thought and heart into their work. It's like listening to a soundscape as well as an album. I've had the cd on replay and with each listen I discover new things. As a musician, this is ALWAYS cool! Ilyana's vocals are still sultry and her vocal control is better than ever. I've been listening to her sing for years, and she just gets better and better. The drum programming has improved ten-fold since the first album. Koodos to that! There's an easy-going, not overproduced sound to the drum tracks that doesn't make them stand out as too midi or electronic. They blend well with the very present acoustic guitar playing. Something that wasn't achieved on "bigger" albums like Sade's Lover's Rock. This album is even a little reminiscent of Radio Head. A HUGE compliment. And it's great to hear more of James on the record. His voice is a nice compliment to Ilyana.
Read more...