Let’s start with a bold statement. At its core, Cremation Lily’s ‘Dreams Drenched In Static’ is a pop record. OK, OK maybe not Top 40 mainstream pop but maybe avant-pop. On a first listen that statement doesn’t seem to make sense; the album is composed of static, distortion, noise, and a general confusion that makes the songs feel jarring. Lyrically Zen Zsigo’s vocals have more in common with nu-metal and emo vocalists. Zsigo half-sings, half-shouts his tales of alienation and self-loathing, but after a few listens you start to zone in on what lies beneath the audio detritus. And that is effectively glorious melodies, captivating hooks, and catchy vocals. Which, and I’m checking notes here, is what pop music does. The songs range from 90 seconds to five minutes. They are written in a verse-chorus-verse structure, which repeated choruses.
Before we carry on let’s go back a bit. Zsigo has been releasing music under the Cremation Lily name since 2009. Originally, he was a sample-based ambient artist, but over the years he has incorporated guitars, tape loops, noise, power electronics. In the UK scene Cremation Lily is part of a group of artists, including BLACKCLOUDSUMMONER, Knifedoutofexistence, and Pale World, affectionately dubbed ‘The Junk Pack’. The music they create is experimental by nature, but it doesn’t neatly slot into genre categories. It plays around with form and tone to create hybrids that confuse classification, sound like little else but are immensely enjoyable. ‘Dreams Drenched In Static’ is one of these albums.
‘I’m Done’, ‘Selfish’ and ‘I Need To Stop Blaming Myself’ are examples of this. The vocals are catchy and woozy. The music is abrasive but catchy. The weird thing is that all the static, noise and drone doesn’t even sound overpowering. ‘Selfish’ contains the lyric on the album: “I don’t care about money; I don’t care about love (I’ve never felt alright). I just want to be OK; I just want to be touched (or not)”. Its gut-wrenching honesty it almost too painful to take. However, those glorious melodies really do soften the blow and make it an incredible pop song.
Throughout the album Zsigo hasn’t forgotten his ambient/avant-garde roots. ‘Overflowing Velvet’ is a mostly instrumental songs that features searing guitars and electronics that bring to mind 65daysofstatic and Mogwai at their most emotionally understated. Under this a mournful string section plays. It hammers home the feeling of being lost, or adrift, and not realising there is a way out. As the music continues to flow from the speakers, wave after wave of melancholy wash over us.
All isn’t doom and gloom though. The strings, which are glorious throughout, offer a suggestion of hope. It is this hope that makes ‘Dreams Drenched In Static’ such an incredible listen. Whenever Zsigo bears his soul, he also offers chances for redemption. Things are bad at the moment, but they will, they HAVE, to get better. And it is this that separates Zsigo from his peers. Take ‘I Need to Stop Blaming Myself’ for example. The title tells you everything you need to know. Yes, self-loathing is fun at time, but taking ownership for your actions and making amends is better. We know this. Zsigo knows this.
The downside with ‘Dreams Drenched In Static’ is that Zsigo never pushes the songs one way or the other. There are sections, especially on ‘I’m Done’, where it would have been interested in him to strip things back even further and deliver a few bars of sheer bombastic pop. Also, on tracks like ‘Dreams Drenched In Static’ and ‘Wavering Blood’ it never quite descends into the gloopy noise that we are slightly hankering. The album is probably better for it, but it would have been nice for us to see that Zsigo has the power to make U-Turns when the song needs it.
While Cremation Lily is an avant-garde/noise/experimental project, there is definitely enough to grab hold to. Massive hooks and soaring melodies. Yes, it might not sure everyone’s tastes but it’s wonderful and shows that despite all the advancements in pop music there are artists out there showing us new places it could go. The legacy of Cremation Lily, and ‘Dreams Drenched in Static’, is yet to be written. It would be a nice surprise if it helps influence future trends, like M.I.A. for example, there is definitely plenty here that producers, and songwriters, might take and run with if they came across this album.
9/10
Words: Nick Roseblade
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