Fred Deakin (of Lemon Jelly), is set to release his new album ‘The Lasters’ which is out on the 24th January 2020.
The sci fi concept of Earth’s last inhibitors is not only a great listen but is a brilliant comment on today’s society, through challenging our dangerous attraction to technology and destruction whilst keeping human emotion at the centre of the album.
The dystopian concept uses the medium of music to immerse and transport a listener to the setting described in the prologue. The ambitious solo project uses a ‘War of the Worlds’ ideology in order to comment on a future, destroyed by climate change and possible nuclear destruction.
‘The Lasters’ is rich in musical quality and provides a in depth examination of our own human ideology and mindset. It is soothing yet eerie allowing you to be drawn into the tale of what could be. It features a collaboration of four vocalists, including Deakin, in order to narrate and project the sci fi tale.
The short prologue ‘At the Century’s End’ begins the album and summaries the events following the destruction of the planet. The first track ‘Alone’ carries a haunting yet strangely soothing melody which easily transports a listener to the dark future that has been created.
The second track ‘Satellite’ follows a similar theme as both female voices push the narrative through the melody and lyrics, maintaining the human element the album strives for.
Although the album is Deakin’s first endeavour into singing and songwriting, the jarring contrast between the first two tracks and the third ‘Get the Message Through’ is especially successful in communicating the album as a whole.
The song is set aside from the first two with the introduction of a new, male, robotic narrative that is startling in comparison to the naturally of the initial female vocals.
The coming of age story is broken up by brief musical monologues to narrate the progression of the tale and the imminent regression of the world.
The track ‘Rush’ follows one of these monologues and acts as one of the most communicative pieces. The immanency of rushing is translated through the use of music as a catchy riff that dominates the song and sets a starting point for the ‘Rush’ to evolve from.
A harmonica increases the tempo, leaping between notes and adding another layer of texture to the track. The sound created acts as a constant reminder of the new word we have entered.
The harmonicas abrupt halt and switch back to the female voice maintains engagement with the story and really focuses how it is always people at the centre of most destruction.
Whilst most of the tracks carry a positive more upbeat feel, the longest track on the album ‘The End of the World’ really integrates raw, haunting emotion to add a slightly more ambiguous tone. The piano’s introduction eliminates any thoughts of chaos that could relate to the title, instead replacing it with an eerie calm.
The ambitious project encapsulates the extent to which our current world is being destroyed as Deakin takes our current situation with a pinch of salt, using it to fuel the dystopian world in ‘The Lasters’.
The album has already gained a myriad of support and is set to release 24th January 2020.