Lux Interna
there is light in the body, there is blood in the sun
Pesanta Urfolk
Street: 05.27
Lux Interna = Spectral Light and Moonshine Firefly Snakeoil Jamboree + Swans
The fifth release by Joshua Levi Ian and Kathryn Mary, this beautiful album recapitulates dark neo-folk without dragging along the negatives that subgenre often implies, marrying it to the gothic Americana sound of bands like Munly or Wovenhand (whose keyboardist  Jeff Linsenmaier guests here) with touches of 1990s darkwave. Starting bittersweet with the claustrophobic “King Winter,” the album opens up like some Rafflesia flower, reaching its climax on the hillbilly horror story of “Wounded Stag,” the stunning “Threefold” and expansive “Seed.” This is one of the best crafted albums I’ve heard in a long time, with its almost literary pacing, from opening to climax to the final comedown, yielding much more than just a collection of songs. The CD and LP are gorgeously packaged, featuring artwork by David D’Andrea that perfectly sets the mood for this intricate, layered, dark but glittering piece of work. –Madelyn Boudreaux