Son Lux
Album: Tomorrows I
Release Date: 2020
US
Son Lux is an American experimental band. Originally the solo project and moniker of founding member Ryan Lott, the band’s first three albums, At War with Walls & Mazes, We Are Rising and Lanterns shaped the band’s unique sound through post-rock and electronica influences.
Ryan Lott talks about Plans We Made
For a couple of years, the working title for “Plans We Made” was “NEXT4.” It was the fourth new idea we started working on after turning in Brighter Wounds in the fall of 2017.
After a single day of working on it, the idea sat for a long time, close to a year maybe. At one point, cellist Gabriel Cabezas was in town and I invited him over to record on several things, one of which was this tune. Months later, violist Nadia Sirota stopped by and we recorded her parts. One of the things we recorded was a particular extended technique that Andrew Norman uses quite a bit in his writing, where the bow is drawn at an increasingly rapid pace toward the bridge, with “too much” pressure gradually applied, then! a sudden stop on the string right at the bridge. The result is like if a string could scream. With that sound, I created a weird “instrument” using a software sampler and discovered the characteristic “neh-neh-yit!” phrase that occurs at the top and throughout the song. Then everything fell into place.
There’s a good chance this song is still growing
and will emerge again in other forms.
This happens a lot, where a sudden surprise discovery reveals where the song wants to go. Rafiq recorded bass on it, which then informed some of my vocal choices. The actual “song” came quite late in the process, and we invited the wonderful musician Kahdja Bonet to sing it with me. She wrote the hypnotic “ah aah-ah” part that emerges toward the end and carries us out. There’s a good chance this song is still growing and will emerge again in other forms.
Lyrics: Plans We Made
I’m not asking for release
I’m not asking to forget
Never regret what you’ve given me
What is permanent remains
Despite the plans we make
Some will walk, some will run
But as we go, we lose everyone
Somehow, somehow
And I’m afraid to let you go
I’m not asking for release
I’m not asking for release
I’m afraid to let you go
Tracklist: Tomorrows I
1. “Dissolve”
2. “Plans We Made”
3. “Bending Shadows”
4. “Only”
5. “Days Past”
6. “Honesty“
7. “Into Wind“
8. “Last Light“
9. “Undertow”
10. “Involution”
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Photo: Bang Ho 
Photo: Anna Slusarz 
