I wrote of 2008’s Son Lux disc that “Ryan Lott was THIS CLOSE to producing a game-changer with Walls & Mazes but for a paucity of musical ideas.” This seemed to have been a consistent criticism with At War With Walls and Mazes, that Lott had created a vulnerable little symphonic album with the emphasis on “little.” Too few melodies compiled into several arrangements that were a tad redundant.
Strange, then, after falling off the grid for 2 years that Lott would whet listeners’ appetite with the Weapons EP. “Weapons” is the most memorable track from Walls and Mazes and here Lott interprets the song six times, most successfully on the lively “Weapons V.” Other versions are successively ethereal, rhythmic, and even include a painfully white remix with rapper Alias.
Exactly how many more ideas does Ryan Lott have for the next release that Anticon Records says he is working on? And between composing for the Gina Gibney dance company and similar high brow pursuits, will Son Lux morph into something more avante garde and outside popular taste?
Let’s hope Lott is warehousing some great new songs that continue and expand on the creativity promised two years ago.