Lydia - Paint it Golden

I'll admit it. After the rather sad excuse for an album that came out 2010, I wasn't expecting much from Lydia. It wasn't a bad album, but compared to the masterpiece before that (Illuminate) it was clearly a downhill drop.

The news that Lydia was breaking up. For good. No more chances for a new favorite album, no more letting Leighton Antelman's soft voice put me to sleep (I'm not gay for him I SWEAR). Assailants was rather disappointing, and for a while I thought Illuminate would be the only thing to hold onto. Then, out of Limbo, they returned to the world.

I will admit, for a while, I was really concerned the band would return to the style of an old album. Either to their most recent attempt and be insanely mediocre, or try a full album of hits, similar to what they tried with It's December, It's One More and I'm Free. And through all of that, we get to the release of Lydia's rise from the ashes, Paint it Golden.

Their sound is something only defined as true indie rock. Both bold and soft at the same time, Lydia's mix of beautiful vocals, simplistic guitar riffs, sweet sounding piano, and gentle drums leave a sound that is truly an impression that won't be leaving you anytime soon. I can't think of a single band I know of that really sounds like Lydia. Like or hate the music, it's truly a class of its own. This album manages to hold on to that feeling in Illuminate that made it so incredible as well. Every single song isn't trying to be a hit. You get songs like I'll Bite You, which can be cut straight from the album and still be heavy hitters. But just like their best work, this is something you listen to the whole way through. When you sit down and think "Oh, I'm gonna listen to some Lydia" you don't pick one song from this album. You simply can't. The flow between songs is back, the leading straight into the next track, no stopping in between. That's one of the most beautiful things about this album. It's actually a whole piece of art, not split into a dozen little pieces. The subject matter and sound to the music is different enough to constitute a different track on the CD, but it's like listening to several different movements of an orchestra, all of the same piece of music.

All in all, give a few songs a listen on Youtube, and pick up the CD if you like it. Birds, I'll Bite You, and Ghosts really stick out of the bunch, but any of them will do. Obviously I'm already a huge fan of Lydia, but this is really incredible music. Cheers, and hope you give these guys a listen.