"Alternate World", from the album Lanterns, now available at Joyful Noise Recordings. bit.ly/14jPwRe

Written, Performed & Recorded by Son Lux

Vocals - Ieva Berberian, Cameron Schenk, Aaron Strumpel, Shara Worden
Mandolin - Chris Thile
Pedal Steel, Bass - Christopher Wray

Ryan Lott Music (ASCAP) administered by Domino Publishing Company USA (ASCAP) © 2013 Joyful Noise Recordings + Son Lux / sonluxmusic.com

"The sound that kicks off this song, and the record, is the fluttering voice of Shara Worden combined with Chris Thile's tremolo mandolin. In order to create the vocal sound, I recorded Shara singing three short 'ah' sounds on every pitch in her range. I snipped them all up, and using a sampler, mapped them so that I could 'play' her voice from a keyboard. Then I used some fancy programming to make each 'ah' repeat as I hold down a key, or more specifically, to 'bounce' like a ball propelled by gravity... and then reverse itself. The result is that each 'ah' bounces rapidly and gradually smears into the next, creating the illusion of a held note, and then spreads out again. When 'playing' the voice this way, an extra-natural vocal articulation is achieved, but the sound of the instrument itself is entirely acoustic, and even human. This bit of technical geekery is a play on 'alternate world,' presenting the familiar in a strange new light." - Ryan Lott

Lyrics:
ALTERNATE WORLD
ALTERNATE AGE
ALTERNATE LIFE

OH OH, WE'LL SHED OUR SKIN
WE'LL WALK THE OTHER SIDE
OH OH, WE'LL BRACE FOR IT
AND CONQUER EVERYTHING
OH OH OH 
AND CONQUER EVERYTHING

OH OH, WE'RE MAGICAL
WE'LL WAKE THE DEAD FROM SLEEP
OH OH, WE'LL SHED OUR SKIN
WE'LL WALK THE OTHER SIDE
OH OH, WE'LL BRACE FOR IT
AND CONQUER EVERYTHING
OH OH OH

TEAR ME AWAY, FROM THIS FIGHT
TEAR ME AWAY, TAKE ME TO AN...
ALTERNATE WORLD
ALTERNATE AGE
ALTERNATE LIFE

ALTERNATE WORLD
ALTERNATE AGE
ALTERNATE LIFE

MAKE WHAT WE BELIEVE
DON'T WE MAKE WHAT WE CAN


Buy on iTunes

Alternate World

From the start, Son Lux has operated as something akin to a sonic test kitchen. The band strives to question deeply held assumptions about how music is made and re-construct it from a molecular level. What began as a solo project for founder Ryan Lott expanded in 2014, thanks to a kinship with Ian Chang and Rafiq Bhatia too strong to ignore. The trio strengthened their chemistry and honed their collective intuition while creating, releasing, and touring five recordings, including LPs Bones (2015) and Brighter Wounds (2018). A carefully cultivated musical language rooted in curiosity and balancing opposites largely eschews genre and structural conventions. And yet, the band remains audibly indebted to iconoclastic artists in soul, hip-hop, and experimental improvisation who themselves carved new paths forward. Distilling these varied influences, Son Lux searches for equilibrium of raw emotional intimacy and meticulous electronic constructions.