Lavallette - Love And Lies
Review by Karl Magi
Overall Album Impressions
Lavallette’s Love And Lies brims over with classic '80s synth-pop sounds, a masterful vocal performance from Sophia and exciting melodic and harmonic moments. Without being clichéd, this album hits the '80s sounds right on the button, while also adding fresh ideas and intriguing songwriting. The vocals are engaging and fresh while the synth sounds combine with unique melodic ideas and fascinating audio tones and shadings to draw strong imagery.
Without a doubt, it's Sophia's vocal performance that anchors Love And Lies. Her voice is a flexible, distinctive and beautiful instrument which captures the album’s plethora of emotional states and atmospheres. Whether she's expressing aching pain or defiance, her voice moves from low and lush to soaring and powerful. She's able to capture the essence of the songwriting and deliver it directly to my soul with her voice.
Another reason why Love And Lies draws my attention is the balance of classic sounding 1980s rhythms and synth sounds with innovative and frankly cool ideas. There is a melodic and harmonic balance to the music which I find intoxicating, keeping my ears interested as the different synth tones and instruments weave together into one luscious whole. I especially enjoy the interesting melodies which the artist writes because they embody the mood of each song well.
I also enjoy the atmospheric nature of the music which paints intense imagery across each track, filling in the background and supporting the vocals and songwriting. Each song is a journey which is initiated by the vocalist and completed by the instrumental backing. The end result is music which I can go back and listen to repeatedly and always discover something new.
My Favourite Tracks Analyzed
“Summer Rain” starts with a reverberant synth swelling as Sophia's fresh voice and a jumping guitar join. Cosmic light suffuses the melodic synth as Sophia's captivating voice exudes fervent sentiment. The pounding low end is joined by the guitar’s shining glow as the rhythm punches strongly and the synth beams like sunlight cutting through fading clouds. Sophia’s performance draws me into the song’s atmosphere.
The guitar knots with brilliance and the bursting percussion interlocks with the bass while lusciously soaring vocals climb with dynamic resolution. Diamond-like cadences flow and the track throbs to an end with Sophia's voice.
As the narrator feels the warmth of the song's subject, she asks them to “keep your eyes on me” because she knows they can feel it too. She says that she'll “fight the pain, fight for love” as she senses it coming like “summer rain.”
Even if the other person pushes her away, she'll return for more. She declares that she can take the storm. She asks the song’s subject to “tell me what you're thinking” as she encourages them not to give up on her. She concludes, “I can't take you leaving, stay until the sun goes down.”
Quickly tripping, rebounding sounds move over the thunderously punching low end to kick off “Drive Me Crazy.” Here the singer showcases her low vocals, deep and rich like black coffee, as echoing sounds and a heartbeat thumps. A far-reaching sound slides past as the vocals climb higher, shivering with intensity as the intermingling synth skips with sunny radiance.
The undertones are thick as gossamer notes flow while the drums thunder. I enjoy the way in which the vocals veer between exasperation and desire. Fat tones bend and Sophia's voice rises, catching the depth of need while still expressing annoyance at the antics of the main character. Raised notes bubble with neon-lit dynamism while the vocals repeat a hypnotic chant until silence falls.
Feeling like she’ll lose her mind, our storyteller says her heart is being pulled from left to right “on the brink of insanity” but the song's subject is all hers. She adds, “I can't breathe when you're with me, you call me baby and disappear.” In spite of this, she admits that they’re like a drug and all she needs. She asks the other person to “take my heart and set me free.”
Now the narrator wants the other person to “ready your shot and take your aim” because she'll continue to play their games. She wonders aloud, “what can I say?” as she runs in circles to keep up and admits she can't “work my head around the shit you do.” She feels the subject makes a fool of her but concedes, “it's all over for me, I'm too addicted to you.”
“Let Me Go” opens as a darting synth moves with gentle piano chords and faraway, drifting vocals. Now Sophia’s voice adds devotion while slowly ticking, percussive sounds move. diaphanous, sparkling notes skip above the colossal rhythm as a gauzy synth floats with a distantly haunting feeling.
The way in which the singer moves between love and a need for escape comes through as the pan pipes exhale. The huge beat batters heavily while jagged notes growl. Like the words themselves, the music is layered and full of contradictions, while a solar synth flashes as the heavily pounding low end towers. A surging synth blasts out brilliance while the drums collide with the thick bass and the words call with zeal above the broadly hitting drums before the song ends.
It can be difficult when one doesn't know "what we have or where we're going," but the narrator is staying up "every night wishing for something to ignite the spark in us." She reassures the song's subject that she isn't going anywhere because "right here is where we need to be."
Our storyteller asks the other person to "just hold on, take me as I am or let me go." In the next breath, she admits she doesn't want to be let go. At the age of 17, "between the dragon slaying and when we grew up," she spent days "looking for a way through the mirror and the lies."
She concludes, "don't give up, stay with me," because where they are is where they need to be. She adds, "stay with me, blame it on me for the last time."
Quickly springing, hollow notes move with lightly flickering sounds to open “Wasted Love.” The bass rebounds with the clean drums as Sophia adds a bittersweet feeling while the quickly rippling, glistening synth frolics. The singer reflects the hurt and anger in the lyrics as the drums smash while the guitar snarls and dances. Sharp-edged keys move with the heavy bass.
Blindingly bright notes skim past while exhaling pipes float and colossal percussion shatters. Sophia expresses relief and freedom, imbuing me with those feelings. As shiny notes rise with brilliance, the percussive maelstrom batters out and levitating notes shimmer. The rapidly charging synth trips past while impassioned words fly and the song comes to an end.
Our storyteller is looking for an answer to "soothe my soul, baby" as she asks to be taken away, saying "these are the nights we remember." Unsure of where she's going, she isn't too concerned about where she ends up. She doesn't need to be, because it was at times like these that the song's subject said they’d never leave her. Instead, they deceived her and nearly broke her.
Memories of all the things that went wrong stay in the narrator's mind as she adds, "I don't know where we went wrong and I don't care what you did wrong," because the song's subject hurt her for no reason, so they've used up their second chances. She adds that she spent too much time on the other person and they altered who she was.
Unafraid, our storyteller has returned—having survived and now feeling alive. The other person has heard enough and her reply is, "I don't love you any longer, now go get yourself lost." If the other person needs her they can "go cry." She adds, "So sorry to say, you hurt me for the last time, now I'm going to get mine.”
“Man Enough” starts with a choir calling powerfully as the piano briefly intermingles. Now the low end pulsates while Sophia carries the mysterious, haunting melody as bells ring. The rhythm is ferocious while the lyrics add defiance and strength and the cascading beat adds propulsion. A chugging sound slips in the background while the vocals embody a sense of threat that I find compelling.
Sophia's voice is shot through with midnight feeling as the heavily pumping rhythm is joined by bells striking with energetic luminosity. Notes that echo in the distance carry heavy weight and the guitar trickles and then bursts. RAN lets go with a solo that is powerful and infused with feeling, winding out with intricacy and soul.
The guitar suffuses the music with a burning glow as the singer drives home the song’s message. Once again, RAN rips out a howling riff, agonized and strong, while Sophia thrusts the words home before the track ends.
A shadow moves from her window as the narrator speaks of it blocking "the light beneath my door." She’s frozen in place as the song's subject tells her not to worry. She asks defiantly, "Tell me, are you man enough to burn me to the ground, burn me down?"
The look in the song's subject’s eye reflects "secrets and lies, telling me not to worry." She calls the other person the night’s darkness and "the devil in disguise." She points out that "we're all sinners and vagrants, wishing we'd die young."
As the song concludes, she says, "Little baby, little devil, little darling. My secret, your love. Nothing sinks quite like the depths."
8-bit notes glint like digital signals in the dark to commence “Runaway”. The computerized sounds are joined by Sophia's caressing voice which carries the loving melody while a computerized-sounding synth trembles distantly. Quickly looping notes slip like signals through cables as the vocals carry a message of seizing the moment and living life fully.
Sophia skillfully encapsulates all of the youthful joy within the music, her voice resonating with expression. The drum beat adds balance while luscious bass rolls. In the distance, network dreams shimmer from the synth before the playful beat dances along. Sophia captures all of the sensations within the music with positivity. The tumbling notes move like electrical impulses while the vocals flash like lightning before the song ends.
Musing on how quickly time has passed, our storyteller says, I miss the spark in your eyes, alive but not living. She wants them to escape and disappear so they can forget what people say, as she takes the song’s subject far away. She adds, “let's run away and never look back.” Life is too short for them to hesitate, “so we can be kids again once more. Let's run away and never look back.”
The narrator knows the song’s subject has an aching heart and the days and nights go by on replay. She says they shouldn't waste any more time feeling stuck: run away with me, baby and I'll stay forever, always. She concludes that they should forget about tomorrow's worries and let themselves go—just run away.
“Running In The Dark” begins with void-deep bass rumbling along with elevated, fragile notes that shine like distant stars. A synth breathes with soothing tenderness while the raised notes blur like foggy moonlight. The underlying harmonic pattern is trance-inducing as the rhythm glides in and starbursts pour out through the music. The bass is Stygian while a robotic voice speaks and a steady vibration rings like a bell. A cascading synth shivers while the robotic vocals add a synthetic sensation.
Once again, the percussive pattern forms an underpinning as comets flash and lasers slice. Pulsing drums and bass join high notes which twist like spinning galaxies. The melody that moves in glows like distant galactic structures while the pattering beat shifts. I enjoy the feeling of moving through the night, washed by the universe’s light while the electric bass intertwines. The song’s heartbeat is firm while slowly caressing notes spin like Vincent van Gogh’s stars before the track comes to an end.
Fragile radiance shines with tremulous sensations to start “ '80s Love”. Sophie has a throaty warmth to her voice as the percussive elements cascade while the guitar weaves sonic webs and the tapping drums flicker. Sophie captures the song’s wishful spirit. All of the assorted percussive sounds form an underlying support while the vocals float like dandelions on the wind. The synth spills out brightness while the guitar rings with loving, tentative sensations.
The tripping drums slip past while the synth adds a sunset glow and the vocalist tugs at my heartstrings. Bass continues to undulate as the distant vocals whisper and the classic strength of Sophia's gliding voice imbues the music with intense affection. As the gentleness spills out, the drums rebound and the chorus shines happily before digital-sounding notes trickle and silence falls.
It’s a late night on the boardwalk. Our storyteller’s “thoughts roll like the sea as I look for you, the missing part of me.” From winter snowfall till spring bloom, she’ll be waiting for the song’s subject.
The narrator says, “what can I do baby, I need you.” She craves “that '80s love,” saying that she really can't get enough of it. The song's subject is “the one,” so she asks them to give her a chance at “that '80s love.”
The dawn isn't far away, so our storyteller says, “you're the key to my heart, let me hold you closer.” The other person makes her hold the line, so she wants them to stay. She adds, “we will never forget our '80s love, I see the future in your eyes, just take my hand and hold on tight. The stars have aligned for them like our '80s love.”
Conclusion
Love And Lies takes me out of myself and carries me into an alternate 1980s world where synthpop rules and deeply interesting sounds back up emotive singing and expressive songwriting. This is the listening experience I'm willing to continue over and over again.
