ALBUM REVIEW
by Ara Corbett

Fugues and Funk: Lucid Filigree’s Life on a Loop 

The name “Lucid Filigree” conjures a jeweler’s meticulous attention to detail, heightened spiritual enlightenment, and a nod to the early albums on the august indie label 4AD Records. But while the name may appear to have been carefully crafted, it in fact floated down from the ether more than 10 years ago, landing on a Post-It note on a kitchen wall, awaiting its purpose or place in the future. That future has now arrived with Lucid Filigree’s second album Life on a Loop.

Like that Post-It note, the title Life on a Loop suggests the past circling into contact with the present, apropos for an album that echoes different eras while being very much in the here and now. Befitting the “loop” theme, the songs emerge from an interplay of yin and yang forces, blending cerebral craftsmanship with an openness to the free flow of life. Lucid Filigree is an artist who thinks fugues and plays funk.

The songs on Loop are built on strong melodic bass lines that recall Peter Hook, Derek Forbes, and Barry Adamson—all postpunk sonic brethren—and provide a bedrock for sweet, breathy vocals, layers of treated guitars, and a fascinating array of keyboard textures. Lucid Filigree wrote every word and note, played every instrument, and also arranged and produced himself, bringing to Life on a Loop a lifetime of musical knowledge and experience with a beginner’s sense of adventure and possibility.

The reflective lyrics on Life on a Loop are above all carried by a spirit of play, embedded with puns, suggestive turns of phrase, and literary references that may be teased out by the astute ear. I’ve had this album on a steady “loop” for most of the past year, with the catchy “Rain,” “Brand New Day,” “Crushing My Sails,” and especially “The Quiet One” standing out as some of the finest songs of 2024.

There are no upcoming shows at this time…