Wow, Lux Interna is really progressing quickly. The debut album of this American dark folk act was rather good, but this new album is really excellent. The sound and the songs are better and the musicians perform with more passion and conviction. Lux Interna sounds more like a tight band now. This become directly clear on the powerful ‘Daybreak I’, which gives you the urge to raise your hands and shout along: ‘And we – bring – the daybreak!’.
For some reason Lux Interna sounds different than most dark folk bands. Is it because they are American? Or is it caused by the performance of Joshua Gentzke, whose vocal style makes me think of people like Nick Cave or Michael Gira? Lux Interna also makes me think of the British band Naevus, though with less rock elements.
Compared to ‘Absence and plenum’, ‘Ignis mutats res’ sounds more dynamic and varied, with more different elements, both in composition and sounds. You can literally hear the fire that the title alludes to. Songs like ‘In the hidden fields’, ‘Horizon’ and ‘Weep not’ have a strong sense of energy and urgency.
There are certainly also introspective, romantic moments, like ‘Rosa Mundi’, a nice acoustic folk song, with pleasant strings and female vocals. Or ‘Distance’, a shimmering atmopsheric song with hal-whispered female vocals, in the best 4AD-tradition. There also songs that refer more to ‘classic’ apocalyptic folk, like ‘Europe’s green remnants’, which makes me think of Current 93.
A fine album!
