A listener's perspective on Lucius' 2010s album trilogy
Throughout the 2010s there were plenty of captivating album runs from indie artists that spanned the entire decade. But one trilogy of records has truly captivated my attention: Lucius' prolific Wildewoman --> Good Grief --> NUDES trilogy where many different motifs and perspectives were touched upon (both sonically and lyrically). I recently reviewed all three of these pieces on the Album Review, and wanted to put them up on Lush and Todd. Below is the trio, hope anyone reading enjoys.
God Bless,
- ZB James
Wildewoman (2014)
There’s something truly moving about the way Jesse and Holly sing together. They can be immensely powerful in one song, and then quickly they can shift towards a delicate introspective tone in the next. And sometimes they even go back and forth within the same track. The same can be said about the musicians that surround them - their ability to create a sweeping, indie pop wall-of-sound is second-to-none within the game. It’s hard to put my finger on it exactly, but the talent and uniqueness of their style is apparent right away. Not many groups within the indie scene go for the consistent power duet form, and so instantly Lucius’s sound stands out and feels infectious.
That magnetism is amplified on Wildewoman by the overarching theme of youthful coming-of-age energy felt on many of the songs. The title track (and opener), Hey Doreen, Two of Us on the Run, Until We Get There, Don’t Just Sit There, and How Loud Your Heart Gets (the closer) all have a swelling grandness to them that bursts out of the speakers. It’s all very cinematic, as if they're singing about a specific character who’s becoming a young woman - someone who’s ready for the challenges of adulthood, who’s ready for love, who’s ready to break free and explore (or so she thinks).
There’s an almost blissful naivety to the piece, and I think I cherish this record so much because it hit me at a time in my life where I was similarly doe-eyed. I had just finished college and moved back home, had my entire 20s in front of me, and had a tight-knit crew of friends surrounding me. We had (mostly) no worries in the world, and the everyday grind of life hadn’t fully set in yet. Because of that mutual connection, this record will always have a special place in my heart. I’ll forever be reminded of the Lothrop days, instantly transported back to that great summer of 2015. Even as time marches on, the beauty of music and its ability to flood the mind with memories is still there, and this album is one of those magical reminders.
(PS - The extended edition is super epic and well worth the listen. There are lovely alternative versions of songs and an absolutely mondo cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World. One of my favorite covers of any song ever. Plus Genevieve is casually plopped in as the 2nd to last track on the B-Side. Incredible - I had forgotten that it didn't even make the original album.)
Good Grief (2016)
At the time of this album's release I wasn’t an instant fan. I liked a few of the songs, but overall I found myself latching on to the more positive sounds from Wildewoman. But listening back to this half a decade later with a different set of ears, I have a newfound respect and admiration for Good Grief.
Here the girls stay true to their cinematic style, with a few tweaks to the overall sound that the band is accompanying them with (a little more heavy, a little more electronic). But it’s the tone of the overarching theme that’s staggeringly different. Wildewoman’s title character has gone on to mature and explore and find love, but it’s that love that she was chasing before that’s brought about serious challenges. Ultimately I interpret the album as a piece about a woman in a tumultuous relationship, with the songs Madness (opener), My Heart Got Caught on Your Sleeve, and Gone Insane being the most revealing songs lyrically. This character is questioning her own sanity, wondering if she’d have been better off never meeting her lover, and even heart-wrenchingly admitting in Heart on Your Sleeve that “I am lost in my own home”. It’s a bone chilling bridge where the wall-of-sound builds and builds as tears swell in the listeners eyes. And the same can be said for the final sequence in Gone Insane, where the girls are agonizingly belting “I must be the one who’s gone insane”. They even break apart as a duet and are disjointedly singing over each other, which is a profound moment that does a brilliant job of evoking the raw torturous nature of psychological torment. It’s honestly so powerful that it can be hard to listen to.
And while the general concept of the album is bleak, there are still some brighter sounding songs that intersperse the heavy tracks. Almost Makes Me Wish For Rain, Truce, Almighty Gosh, and Born Again Teen have fun-loving melodies despite the lyrics mostly staying true to the serious nature of the album. But I think that’s a good choice artistically - it’s emblematic of how in most abusive relationships it’s not all bad, and that there are always moments where you’re happy on the surface.
Ultimately the group ends things with the power pop song Better Look Back - a sort of call back to the strength and independence of our lead heroine in Wildewoman - and Dusty Trails, which caps the album in a somber way that’s open to interpretation. In some of the verses on Dusty Trails it sounds like the lead character has made up with her significant other, but then in the chorus the girls sing “Everyone’s around and I’m still alone”. Is she really back with her lover? Was it all in her mind? Is she really insane? She’s “halfway to misery” and “halfway to heaven”... was there some sort of suicide attempt? Is this song the aftermath of that moment? It’s really thought provoking and challenging and in the end extremely heart-wrenching - you can feel the weight of the world through this character’s journey.
All in all it’s harder to like this album when compared to the brightness of Wildewoman, but god damn it it’s still a brilliant piece of art. They didn’t shy away from more difficult themes and truly grew as a group. I can’t quite give it an equal grade, but it’s right there and is a borderline masterpiece along with Wildewoman.
(PS - Again the extended edition on this record is awesome. A couple solid demos and a few marvelous covers, including a strong version of Bowie’s Let’s Dance. And having thought about these 2 records a whole lot the last few days, I must say there is a thematic comparison to Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run → Darkness on the Edge Town progression. The character development on those records has a similar trajectory. Born to Run is all about escape and a yearning for exploration, and Darkness is about coming to terms with the trials and tribulations of everyday life and lost youth. Just wanted to mention that. Alright I’m done lol.)
NUDES (2018)
Keeping with the character driven theme from the previous 2 albums, NUDES feels very much like the final chapter in a trilogy. Or even an epilogue of sorts. Here Holly and Jesse go full acoustic and completely do away with the wall-of-sound that engulfed their previous records. It's a stark instrumental contrast to what came before, but still the girls and their poetic duet style anchor every song.
They also make a bold artistic statement by including a mixture of originals, re-recorded material, and covers all across the album. It all adds up to a very subdued and contemplative piece - as if the character they’ve been singing about over the years has finally settled down and is now looking back at her life. Woman and Right Down the Line open up the album and immediately set that tone, as both tracks pay homage to people in your life that are always there for you. And then interestingly enough some of the “reset” re-recorded tracks, when stripped down and softened, take on an entirely new meaning in my mind and feel totally different. Tempest, Something About You, and Until We Get There in their acoustic form shed their angsty, youthful skin and molt into mature songs sung with wisdom. In Tempest when they sing “gotta believe me when I say I know” this time around it’s much more believable.
Other great moments were the inclusion of Eventually by Tame Impala - yet another brilliant cover from Lucius - and the original Neighbors, which I thought was lyrically and thematically clever. I also love Million Dollar Secret and Feels Like a Curse, both of which come late on the album. Again this is them driving that whispery, introspective folk style home (the whole record feels like a tip-of-the-cap to the ‘70s folk scene, which is awesome). I’m a big fan of how they end it, with the traditional song Goodnight, Irene (featuring Roger Waters whom they had been touring with while this album was written). I’ve been referring to these records as one big character study, and having the last song refer to a woman’s name felt like a reveal of sorts. As if the mask was taken off and the identity of our lead heroine was finally revealed.
At least that’s how I like to interpret it. Of course all these songs could just be a conglomeration of all the band member’s own lived experiences sung through the vessel of Holly and Jess’s siren-like singing. The whole youthful rebellion → distressed lover → wise adult arc is most likely a reflection of their actual lives and where they were at while writing/recording each track. But this particular listen I personally couldn’t shake the character-driven feel to it all, and I can only articulate my perspective.
In conclusion, I like this album, but I must say it does lack that same spine-tingling punch that they bring to the table when the wall-of-sound is present. I get what they’re going for and am a massive fan of how this record peacefully wrapped up the trilogy, but by its very nature NUDES has less of a gravitational pull. I’m hoping one day these ladies bring back the thunder, but for now we've all been blessed with the 3 albums they’ve given us and should enjoy them for their uniqueness within the indie pantheon.
Dirty Loosh 4 Lyfe.
-- ZB James
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