From the sun to its horizon, flowers to their sunshine, tides to the moon, hands to the air, hairs from neck, and everything in between, there are so many beautiful instances of life that exist in an infinite bimodal spectrum of ups and downs. Rises and falls.
To “rise” is to defy the existing space around oneself, beat the odds, and change the status quo. A rise can be grandiose and awe inspiring, or subtle and humbling. To attempt to explain these concepts with mere words would be foolhardy at best, but with music its a different story. Lane 8’s debut album, Rise, successfully encompasses the beauty of its title with ten immaculate original tracks, five featured artists, and hundreds of visceral vibes.
Rise is the latest album release on the beloved deep house imprint, Anjunadeep, and could quite possibly be the most important release since Dusky’s debut Stick By This – no small claim, as Stick By This was named one of the albums of the year by Pete Tong.
Tracks from the album have been trickling out into mixes and radio shows for roughly a year now, and the New York Times has the fortune of hosting it for exclusive streaming, for those of you looking to try before you buy. Thankfully, this has provided an opportune moment to review what it’s all about.
Rise displays Lane 8’s ability to tap into the superlatives of various thoughts and emotions rooted in the very core of the human psyche and express them through music; while listening to this album there are profound senses of empathy, familiarity, and comfort, as Daniel Goldstein (Lane 8) has managed to relate personal experiences to a mass audience. Each song is capable of retaining a multitude of meanings and stories for different people, and while they’re all sincerely deep, they’re infectiously catchy.
Instrumentals flaunt rich layering and intense atmospherics that interweave and slowly wash over you like a warm blanket of air. Where these tracks miss the vocal element, they make up for in effective composition; “Klara” is nearly six minutes of blissful plucky organ and piano notes atop droning strings, “Cosi” takes to the stars with whirling synth builds and spacey undertones fit for a cinematic score, and “Rise” is quite simply the ideal rise n’ shine track with its optimistic attitude and thematic applications.
Vocal tracks are as plentiful as they are impactful. While the two Solomon Grey tracks, “Diamonds” and “Hot As You Want,” they still feel as fresh as ever. With Matthew Dear on “Undercover” and Patrick Baker on “Ghost,” Lane 8 has provided a refreshing series of male led vocals (a trait about as seemingly recessive in the dance industry as those born with red hair). With that said the ladies still bring some strong representation; “Sunlight” is an absolute treat  full of warmth, “Loving You” reaches into the very depths of a broken heart with a soulful touch, and “The Great Divide” will have crowds singing to its memorable hook in no time.
Rise is a gift to the world. A gift that’s been carefully cultivated and meticulously designed to be something truly special for those who will accept it. At no point in a play through does it feel rushed or wasted; much like the mountains in the album and singles artwork, there’s an undertone of grand design that’s been developed through years of work that’s resulted in something unshakable and ever lasting. While this isn’t an album we would expect to fly off the shelves or soar the sales charts, we do expect it to land a forever home in hearts and minds of those who do pick up a copy.
Lane 8’s Rise is set to release on July 17th, and can be pre-ordered digitally on iTunes and physically on the Anjunastore. As mentioned earlier, you can stream the album in its entirety over at Press Play from the New York Times. Additionally, you can purchase tickets to the first phase of the Rise Tour, here.
Photo Via: Brockelbank Photgraphy
