You’ll Never Die, You’ll Never Die, You’ll Never Die
You might not know it from listening to his albums, but 23-year-old Trevor Powers, more commonly known by his stage name Youth Lagoon, uses writing music to sort out his thoughts. His sophomore dream-pop album Wondrous Bughouse (released on Fat Possum Records) is, in Powers’ words, about “becoming more fascinated with the human psyche and where the spiritual meets the physical world.”
If you’re looking for a vocal-heavy album with easily relatable lyrics, Wondrous Bughouse will not be for you. Powers is primarily focused on building intricate layers with a slew of instruments and sounds. “Mute,” for instance, is a six-minute track with echoing, faint lyrics dotting the song for about two minutes: “Looking in a 3D world / Where the crowd is in control / You said some small, talked some rubbish / The devil tries to take my mind / But I can’t quite get inside.”
Powers’ lyrics on his sophomore album are dark and skeptical—yet curious, too—and hard to decipher. That’s okay though, because it’s the other components of the songs that lure you in. Each track is both simple yet grandiose with its melodies, bold and abstract. “Raspberry Cane” is perhaps the prettiest song (also the longest at almost seven minutes), featuring live drums and a distinct beat—not something you’ll hear a lot of on this fluctuating album.
Powers’ description of what the album is to him is enough reason to give Wondrous Bughouse at least one spin. But then your curiosity will be sparked and you’ll wonder what that sound was, or what that lyric was, and before you know it, your stereo will be on full-blast and it’s your third time in a row listening to the album. Enjoy!
Leave a Comment