[Album Review] Lø Spirit shows vulnerability and raw emotion through new album 'Isn't Life Beautiful'

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Growing up, one of my biggest influences on music was my maternal grandmother. In later life, she lost her vision until she was no longer able to see, so filled her world with music and audio tapes. As you walked into her bungalow, there would be cupboards and shelves filled with all kinds of items to listen to. Her greatest taste was classical, although she did have some surprising favourites like Eminem and Meatloaf. She was also supportive of my aspiration to try something musical.

One thing she always taught me was there listening to music, and there was feeling music. As she no longer had her vision, she would often paint images and scenarios in her mind as she listened to the songs. This was something she passed onto me and told me that this method of listening to music is how she appreciated it on a deeper level.

Now you're probably wondering why I'm offering this little snippet of my years where I was younger and had less grey hairs. The reason I bring this to your attention is because this is how I found myself appreciating this next release. An album that, whilst heavy in some of its musical elements, is also heavy in its messages and stories it paints throughout. Brought to my attention through my good friend Leanne, I was introduced to Lø Spirit - the brain-child of American songwriter and producer Joshua Landry. Having spent his time building up attention through his own renditions of tracks such as My Chemical Romance's 'Helena' and more, Lø Spirit has released his debut album 'Isn't Life Beautiful'.

Having no idea of his work before this, I had no idea what I was going into...and let me say that after a first spin of all 13 tracks, I was hit by a wave of emotions and thoughts afterwards. This is an album that hits you hard in both heart and mind with its themes and topics. This isn't just an album full of emotion, this album is a story of emotional vulnerability and openness. Each song touches on a different element of Lø Spirit's experiences, how he was pushed into darkness but found ways to turn these experiences back into a light that helped shaped who he became.

Listening through to each track, it was actually hard to highlight aspects that stood out for me over this album - not because there wasn't enough to choose from, more there was so much to unpack and consider. For me, each track stands out in its own way and offers something different deep within its lyrics or music. Each track got me thinking about aspects of my own life and how the story of each song was present in my own life. After all - we've all been in times where all we can see is darkness and question how will we pull through to see the light on the other side. Lø Spirit handles this aspect beautifully, keeping it in such a way that you're not overwhelmed and find yourself relating to his words.

Musically, each track mirrored the intensity of the emotions portrayed flawlessly. Whether it needed moments to be soft and gentle, or moments full of anger and fear, each song was painted masterfully through the instruments and components used. Comprising elements of rock, emo, alternative and electronic - Lø Spirit has found a sound that isn't over-convoluted or chaotic in its final production. Rather, he's found a sound that suits the tone and theme perfectly. 

Overall, 'Isn't Life Beautiful'  is an incredibly detailed look at the complexity of being a human full of emotions. As mentioned earlier, it looks at areas of darkness and focuses on how to turn them into something of light and hope, rather than feeding completely into the anger and sadness that can make us fall even deeper. What makes this album heavy isn't necessarily just the music, its the ideas and the emotions that fill it from start to finish. It can be difficult and indeed scary for anyone to lay themselves out in a vulnerable and open way such as this, but Lø Spirit shows that sometimes we need to take the jump into the unknown and do things that are scary. The overall effect this album has is haunting in its own way, and shows just how powerful emotions can truly be when brought to the service for people to see.

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