Lightning Dust / Deliluh

LIGHTNING DUST

On Spectre, their 4th album as Lightning Dust, Amber Webber and Josh Wells embrace as their sole-focus what was once a side-project, thus crafting their most refined and powerful album to date. After co-founding and touring with Black Mountain for over a decade, the duo departed from the band to further their own longterm creative partnership. Lightning Dust has evolved noticeably with each release, from the spare, dark folk of their self-titled debut, to the synth and drum machine-heavy 2013 album Fantasy. However, the through-line of their discography has been Wells’ deft production tailored perfectly around Webber’s modestly iconic voice which stirred Pitchfork to write of their 2009 LP Infinite Light that Webber’s was “one of the fiercest, most stirring vocal performances of any release this year.” In this sense the tracks on Spectre echo the spirits of quintessential rock vocalists like Grace Slick and Beth Gibbons, throughout a collection of songs that range from expertly sculpted folk-rock ear candy, to sparse Judee Sill-esque ballads consisting of little more than piano and voice. 

Written during the devastating forest fires that filled her hometown of Vancouver with smoke and a sense of apocalyptic doom, album opener "Devoted To" captures Webber's resilience and determination to reestablish her creative independence as she sings "I will find my way back in even if I never sleep...Gotta find my way back in, it’s all that I believe." Propulsive rocker "Run Away" is an observation of the human need for change. Amber explains, "It was written in response to friends leaving their soul crushing jobs. I wanted to write a song that flip-flopped between the glorious freedom they felt upon leaving, and moments of despair that came afterward." Shining an optimistic light on her departure from Black Mountain on the anthemic "When It Rains" Webber sings "Let’s celebrate what we’ve done so far instead of what comes next always ripping at our hearts – it ruins." Wells' impeccable drumming and tastefully restrained synths on the soaring and cinematic "Joanna" offer the perfect backdrop for Webber, as she sings about the demons of her past "I prefer not to see - You shook me inside my memory." The assuring shuffle of "Pretty Picture", on which Stephen Malkmus shreds, is followed by the booming slacker anthem "Competitive Depression" which features vocals by Destroyer's Dan Bejar. Spectre’s dramatic two-part closer "3AM/100 Degrees" brings the album full-circle with a final statement about delusions that manifest in strife, exemplified by the song's final lines “replaying what’s behind, made us all scared when nothing was there." 

2018 was a whirlwind of new beginning for Webber – going back to school and even trying out a new career. In the end these detours gave her the chance to step back and explore what parts of music were important to protect. “It made me realize that art and music are still my light." She goes on to explain, "Spectre is my journey. It’s for all the women warriors that have been battling throughout life looking for a place to express themselves that feels inclusive and inspiring. It’s about finding yourself when no one is paying attention and inventing a new way of creating that feels honest and sincere. I truly feel that women, especially as we age, are underrepresented. That was truly the driving force to creating this album."

DELILUH

Deliluh is an emerging experimental art-rock group that has solidified a reputation in Toronto as a torchbearer for the DIY music community. Their sound fuses elements of punk, drone & experimental music into a organic, yet fiercely resonating sonic identity.

The follow up to their self-produced debut LP ‘Day Catcher’ (reissued by Hand Drawn Dracula, 2018) comes hot off the heels of a year spent tracking fresh ideas to tape in local veterans hall Owls Club. ‘Oath of Intent’ is a summer sibling, one of two albums birthed in the community space last year, and documents the group in its most visceral and cut-throat realization to date. The record's five tracks tell tales that pick apart the conflict and unease within our human makeup, respectively inhabiting its characters and peering through anxious lenses at the past, present and future, with lyrical tenacity and razor sharp tact. Swift instrumental exchanges are opted in preference to layers or blending, delivering an experience front-to-back like a tight collection of hard-boiled short stories.

Deliluh’s live propensity to ignore the traditional circuit of bars and clubs in favour of unconventional venues has built a reputation at home, and one they intend to maintain. Over the past few years, they’ve given audiences a variety of performances in bakeries, libraries, apartments, and a decommissioned subway platform. They embark on a tour of the UK and Europe this May, with festival appearances across Canada to follow through out the summer. The core members are also responsible for some of the city’s latest string of house shows, taking place in the living room of their Bloordale apartment; a space known by many as Somewhere Else.

The group’s slow-burning force is becoming more potent by the month. Foregoing the clean polish of professional studios for living spaces of contextual importance, Deliluh's dedication to thoughtful writing and analog documentation has been a constant process that's kept loyal fans highly anticipating their culminate fruit in this year’s offerings from Tin Angel Records.