Posted on: August 30, 2012 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

“Target Market” starts off “Waking The Mystics”, and it shows Sophe Lux as being very influenced by The Turtles and The Doors, with more than a passing hint to Spanish guitar work and ambient music being tied in to their music. The eclectic sound of Sophe Lux is enough to allow individuals from all different genres to pick up the album and find something that they appreciate. The strong female vocal presence of “Lonely Girl” flips conceptions individuals may have had about Sophe Lux just from listening to “Target Market” on their ear.

While the vocals may not always be in key on this track (or use some form of harmony that I am not educated enough to understand), the track links well together with “Marie Antoinette Robot 2073 (A Rock Opera), which blends a Fiona Apple meets Tori Amos set of vocals with the blips and boops of Rush’s “2112” rock opera (which would make sense, as the title seems to hearken back to the sci-fi/rock mashups present in progressive rock). While the vocals seem to be strong, the electronic cum rock of the rest of Sophe Lux seem to play a much too small role in imbuing the track with character. This is rectified by the beginning of the Billie Holiday-influenced “Time Of Light”. In “Time of Light”, Sophe Lux blend a bluesy piano with the vocals, including only what is needed to emotionally move listeners. The grab bag of styles and sounds on “Waking The Mystics” continues with “Little Soldier of Time”, a track that has the vocals and instrumentation take on a sixties, pop meets girl group format. It is almost as if Sophe Lux is trying to make a greatest hits album, out of new tracks, with these new tracks representing the last century.

The approaches are varied, but the tracks are more or less spot on, each subsequent song being another checkmark for the band. I would like to hear Sophe Lux if they limited themselves to a smaller array of styles, perhaps if they took on a concept album framework for their follow-up to “Waking The Mystics”. Other than maybe a small lack in inter-track cohesion (aside from the juncture between “Lonely Girl” and “Marie Antoinette Robot 2073”), the album succeeds in providing catchy songs that have substance and interesting musical arrangements throughout. Contact Zarathustra and try to pick up a copy of this album; it is well worth the cost.

Top Tracks: Lonely Girl, President

Rating: 6.4/10

Sophe Lux – Waking The Mystics / 2006 Zarathusthra / 13 Tracks / http://www.sophelux.com / http://www.zarathustrarecords.net / Reviewed 10 March 2007
[JMcQ]

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