Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation (2011)

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From the second The Year of Hibernation begins, you are griped with an unshakable feeling of pathos. Youth Lagoon's music is all about feeling. Sure there are lyrics but the majority if not all of their resonance comes from Trevor Powers' beautiful, soaring melodies and his dreamy but not fantastical textural landscapes. Powers, with his childishly sweet reverb-laden vocals, is able to inundate the listener in a sea of nostalgia effortlessly and for the complete duration of the rather short 8 song album. And yet in 8 songs, Powers is able to say so much in a surprisingly succinct way.

Trevor Powers may be young but possesses a talent for emotionally evocative arrangements that's startlingly mature. Each song gently blossoming into it's predetermined main point skillfully and. Powers lyrics may be a bit confessional and yet, there's none of the urge of eye-rolling that accompanies that. Even without being able to hear Powers' words, the very feel of them arrests you. The Year of Hibernation is an album unlike any I've encountered before: Where the instrumental plays an overwhelming larger part than the words and influence every other aspect with stunning ease; where what exactly is being said is secondary to how it's being said and what it in turn is saying to you;  an album that must be felt, in order to be properly understood and enjoyed. The Year of Hibernation is no doubt a future favorite that show a young master at work; a work of exceeding beauty and skill.

Get a peek of Youth Lagoon's charmingly evocative sound with the video for "Montana":

Youth Lagoon - Montana from Tyler T Williams on Vimeo.

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