Concert Review: Son Lux Give Light To A Dark Future At Brooklyn Steel

At Brooklyn Steel, Son Lux showed how to make darkness sexy rather than its usual “scariness”. Drifting into the night with no set plan does not sound like the basis of a “good idea”, but in their most recent album, Brighter Wounds, it was a reflection of what they felt was happening to our country. We openly chose darkness while seemingly asking for light.

Son Lux makes some of the seediest, sultriest sounds out there. Their instrumentals are vivacious and vivid; like walking through a barren city and running into a few, mysterious characters you never know are your hallucination or reflection. If this sounds like the beginning of a really good sci-fi film, starring Leonardo Dicaprio, it should be made, but it actually is the vision I got as I saw Rafiq Batia play his guitar for all its juice. This man plucked his strings like cherries, and tossed rhythms like they were seeds he was spitting out. It was a lush image that transformed the audience into Son Lux’s vineyard and Ryan Lott their owner.
Son Lux – All Directions (Official Video)

Ryan Lott is so passionate about the music he is making; as if he was creating his songs, at the very moment, right in front of you. He constantly runs off or steps away from his keyboard as if it was a piping-hot stove he could not stop putting his fingers on. Pressing one key burned him with an exhilaration that made me want to take piano lessons just to feel how he felt at Brooklyn Steel. While he played classic tracks like, my fave, “Easy” and “You Don’t Know Me”, which had a few audio mishaps thanks to a pesky jack, the night was an homage to a work this artist was honored to have made: Brighter Wounds.
Son Lux – “Slowly” (Official Video)

“Forty Screams”, “The Fool You Need”,”Slowly”, and “Dream State” enraptured the audience with both Lott’s guidance and their sparked participation. Lott does not have to ask anything of the crowd to have them at his palms. With a sound that is so distinct it is uncopiable, you cannot NOT have a good time at a Son Lux concert. For example, there I was between a “leaner” and “wooer”; one woman whom consistently leaned back into me the entire show like I was a reclining chair, and a man behind me who was the human embodiment of an ambulance siren. As she leaned and he wooed, I danced to “All Directions” because, when you are experiencing something so good, your mind makes sure to let go of petty. Son Lux may have a “darker”, electronic sound, but they make sure your night feels light. For More Information On Son Lux Click Here.
Son Lux – “Dream State” (Official Lyric Video)