Artist and producer Son Lux, né Ryan Lott, will take his experimental, electro-classical music on a U.S. tour this spring. Son Lux recently reformulated as a trio featuring Rafiq Bhatia on guitar and Ian Chang on drums.
The threesome will play at Georgia's Covenant College on April 16; the venue is an example of the unique spaces the trio will perform in on this tour. In anticipation of the show, The Chattanoogan summarized Lott's exploratory musical output, which includes film scores and cross-genre collaborative efforts:
"Constantly challenging himself and finding new avenues for his signature sound, Ryan Lott, Son Lux front man, has also scored the movie The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby and the film adaptation of John Green's Paper Towns, in addition to being one-third of experimental supergroup Sisyphus, alongside prolific rapper Serengeti and iconic singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens.
Son Lux released their eagerly awaited fourth studio album, Bones (Glassnote Records) this past June, their first effort featuring the full three-piece band. The avant-pop gem made big waves in the indie music community thanks to its combination of ethereal, synthesized classical instruments (flutes, strings, horns, etc.) and trip-hop beats surrounding yearning anthems of poignant encouragement.
After three solo albums of abstrusely orchestrated post-rock, Lott formed the current trio to promote his 2013 LP, Lanterns. Coming to realize the symphonic power of the backing band, the touring incarnation of Son Lux was recruited for the studio work that birthed Bones. In an interview with NPR, Lott outlined how the collaborative elements outweighed his individual approach:
"Collaboration's always been at the heart of what I do, but I've never welcomed [anyone] other than my own ego into the inner sanctum. Now I'm working with the two guys that I found initially just to be able to play live, Ian Chang and Rafiq Bhatia. And something about the chemistry we had right away on stage just changed the game for me."
Be sure to catch Son Lux at a venue near you this spring, and seek out Bones if you're in the mood for some classically-charged, experimental pop jams.
