For one, tracks like “Ransom” and “Enough of our Machines” are just easier to get lost in, simply because there isn’t much competing action. That said, the most immediate tracks on Lanterns are unquestionably the quieter ones. The convulsive wind instruments are constantly swirling about creating a dense thicket that’s easy to get lost in. “Lost It to Trying” pulls off the maximalist angle to dizzying heights. Some songs have so many changes, it can become a bit overwhelming, but the best tracks always give you plenty of hooks to grab onto among the shuffle. A chorus of voices moves in, subsiding for a lush string section under an electro-pop beat, another section of voices starts singing.

Like any skilled composer, Lott has a knack for quickly transitioning arrangements. So, as you probably guessed, at any given point on Lanterns there is quite a bit going on in the details. Adding to the mélange, the album boasts a pretty impressive roster of guest musicians, ranging from Peter Silberman of The Antlers, DM Stith to yMusic (a string ensemble who have played strings on the most recent Dirty Projectors album), to name a few. As his past work suggests, Lanterns is clearly the work of someone with too many ideas to narrow down. The project is essentially Ryan Lott, a classically trained composer with a resume loaded with projects as disparate as composing music for choreographed dance as well as hip-hop beat production. One listen into Son Lux’s latest album, Lanterns, and its creator’s pedigree probably won’t come as much of a shock.

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