Lydia - Illuminating Music (Illuminate - Lydia)

Member Name: danieljamesphoto

Product:	Illuminate - Lydia
Date:	02/02/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: wonderfully soft vocals that often have a lullaby effect on you

Disadvantages: none

Lydia are unfortunately a totally under appreciated indie/ambient band. I am hoping that this review will bring them to peoples attention a bit more. Two albums in now Lydia are finally headlining their first tour in the U.S after releasing this album, Illuminate, in October last year.

This album is stunning, both musically and lyrically. After a change in line-up since their first album 'This December; It's One More and I'm Free' this one sounds even more hauntingly beautiful than the last.

In my iTunes i put these under 'Ambient Indie' as they have all the warmth and often infectious sounds of a good indie band but with vocals that will make you melt.

Every song delivers another wonderfully harmonic set of vocals with a solid drum and guitar backing and a wonderful play off between male and female vocals.

Stand out songs include 'Hospital' which sounds at first like it has been recorded in a church, with the vocals seeming to wrap themselves around you and whisper in your ears. The passion in Mindy White's words can be heard particularly powerfully in this song with a solid musical accompaniment i recommend this to help get you into the bands style.

'I Woke Up Near The Sea' starts with a dramatic drum driven beat that softens back into the soft vocals of Leighton Antelman and continues along a rollercoaster of highs and lows both vocally and musically.

The majority of the album is knitted together wonderfully to create seamless movement from one track into the next, so as a hint, don't listen to this with your iPod or CD player on shuffle.

--- Summary ---

An album that cries out for more attention that it is getting. Sit back with a loved one, close your eyes and drift away in a lullaby of Lydia.

See more about the band at http://lydiamusic.com/

Summary: Sit back with a loved one, close your eyes and drift away in a lullaby of Lydia.