Sophe Lux and The Mystic ‘All Are One’ Review: a truly cosmic début release.
[rating=4.5]
2016 has been a brutal year, from tragic world events, to the loss of musical icons, to the ugliest and most divisive presidential race in American history. And Gwynneth Haynes, former vocalist for Oregon art-pop collective Sophe Lux wants to help heal the divide on her début solo album All Are One (Zarathustra).
The release (under the tweaked moniker Sophe Lux and The Mystic), is a healthy dose of positive sonic affirmations, kicking off with Your Wonderland, a percolating ear-worm full of disco-ball shimmer.
The Love Comet is a cosmic hymnal of Space Oddity grandeur, addressing our current perilous state of humanity over organ, church bells and neon synth-scapes: “Remember the human race? How said it is they threw it all away.”
Haynes voice is sturdily compelling, cooing and playful on the OMD-esque Infinite Colors of Desire, soulfully earthy on the 70’s tinged Love is Waiting and downright cosmic on the title track, drifting from layered ethereal wails to a theatrical spoken word monologue: “And a time will come when the people of the earth will come together to create a great new world!”
Haynes is aided throughout by engineer/multi-instrumentalist Larry Crane (Elliot Smith, Cat Power, Pavement, The Decembrists, Sleater Kinney), and their creative symbiosis results in bewitching tracks like The Earth Breathes, which mixes electro-clash textures with post-punk bass, and Arise and Awake, the cinematic album closer, featuring orchestral synths, jazzy drum patterns, siren call backing vocals and impassioned lyrics.
All Are One is a unique cross-pollination of synth-pop, glam-rock and flower-power uplift, proving Haynes is a genre-defying artist that ably stands out in the already-diverse Portland musical scene.
Click here to purchase ‘All Are One’ via Bandcamp