Courtesy: Asher Media Relations
Independent prog-rock band Lufeh is working to make itself one of the next big names in the noted genre. The band debuted its debut album Luggage Falling Down independently in April. The eight-song LP is a presentation that the most devoted prog fans will find worth hearing at least once. That is due in large part to its musical arrangements, which will be addressed shortly. The album’s lyrical themes present their own point of interest for listeners. They will be discussed a little later. The album’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements, and will also be addressed later. All three noted items are important in their own way to the album’s presentation. All things considered, they make Luggage Falling Down a presentation that prog rock and metal fans alike will agree is worth hearing at least once.
Luggage Falling Down is an interesting new offering from up-and-coming independent prog-rock band Lufeh. The record stands out in this year’s field of new prog records in part because of its musical arrangements. The arrangements in question vary stylistically from one to the next throughout the course of the record’s 33-minute run time. That will be discussed in a moment. The bigger picture is that the arrangements present influences from a variety of the band’s contemporaries. Among the contemporaries whose influences who are shown are bands, such as Dream Theater, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Spock’s Beard. More specifically, the band takes a page from Dream Theater’s early days (a la Images & Words, Awake, and Falling Into Infinity) in its arrangements in its heavier and softer moments. The keyboard arrangements within the bigger compositions are especially similar to works from Spock’s Beard and ELP. To a lesser extent, one could even ague that the stylistic approach featured in the keyboard lines even has a slight influence from Rush just as much as the aforementioned bands. ‘Find My Way,’ the album’s opener, is perhaps the best example of the Dream Theater influence what with the heavy guitar riffs, drumming and keyboards. Front man Dennis Atlas even sounds almost identical to longtime Dream Theater front man James LaBrie here. ‘Doors,’ the album’s third song, is comparable to some of the works from Dream Theater’s 1997 album Falling Into Infinity. At the same time, the experimental nature in the guitar line and the polyrhythmic approach to the drums lends the song just as much to comparisons to works from Rush. On yet another interesting note, ‘Trial of Escapade’ could actually be argued to have more modern prog influence from the likes of Liquid tension Experiment and Scale The Summit with its experimental and percussive nature, bass-driven arrangement. ‘End Of The Road,’ with its keyboards, guitars and drumming immediately conjures thoughts of ELP and Rush, once again going back to the noted influence. The album’s multi-faceted influences are just as prevalent throughout the albums’ last two songs, ‘Escape’ and ‘The Edge’ as the rest of the album’s featured songs. All things considered, the musical side of this record does more than its share to make the album worth hearing at least once. It is just one of the album’s most notable aspects. Its lyrical content adds to its interest.
The lyrical themes featured throughout Luggage Falling Down are notable because of their depth. ‘Find My Way’ is just one example of that depth. As noted on the band’s official website, the song’s lyrical theme presents a message about “turning dreams into reality.” That statement is illustrated well in the song’s lead verse and chorus, which state, “Too many times I’ve been home/Lying on the floor/And the dreams are flowing over/ From the holes within my soul/And I’ve gotta get a hold/To compromise and find my way.” The song continues in its second verse, “How many roam in the world alone/And hold on to the pain?/With a thirst for control that only complicates/I know I’ll find my way I know I’ll find my way.” That affirmation at the verse’s end that “I know I’ll find my way” is that moment when the song’s subject reaches that moment when he/she knows he/she will make his/her dreams become reality and do what needs to be done to make that happen. It is a statement, when coupled with the song’s musical arrangement, will encourage listeners with that ability to connect to audiences. It is just one of the ways in which the album’s lyrical content proves so important to its presentation. ‘End Of The Road’ does its own part to show that importance.
Where ‘Find My Way’ serves as an inspirational piece, ‘End Of the Road’ comes across as being more introspective. At the same time, the situation described is something that many audiences will find relatable to some sense. It is a song that comes across lyrically as being about finding some direction in life. That is inferred right from the song’s lead verse, which states, “Driving alone Down on some highway to the end of the road/Not sure where it goes/Hoping to find Some kind of sign to move a part of my soul/By the night time There could be a new place to call home.” Now given, this line in itself does come across as being somewhat cliché, as so many songs out there have taken a very similar approach, lyrically speaking. That aside, it still will connect with listeners even here. The song’s second verse adds to the connection that audiences will make with the work. The second verse states, “And doubts come to live inside/Til minds lose their will to fight/The time it takes consumes our lives/The time it takes consumes our lives/I don’t know which way to go/Somewhere in the center of the soul/Shape the things you do/Keep the things you hold.” Additionally, the song’s chorus stresses, “Taking all the time will make it slow.” This comes across as another through-invoking work in its own right. That mention of “Shape the things you do/Keep the things you hold” almost comes across as Atlas saying to listeners, throughout everything, keep what is important close and take things at our own pace. It is an interesting statement that is certain resonate with listeners just as much as that presented in ‘Find My Way.’ It is just one more way in which the album’s lyrical themes prove pivotal to the album’s presentation, and certainly not the last. The lyrical theme of the album’s latest single, ‘My World’ is, as the band notes on its website, about “doing the right thing.”
The only verse featured in ‘My World’ translates that message of doing the right thing by stating, “Thoughts can take our words to other places/Minds to different spaces It can play a trick on what we’ve known/These times, stick with what’s right/The part of you that’s burning deep inside/To do what’s right/These times, stick with what’s right/The part of you that’s certain as your soul/You always have control/These times, stick with what’s right/The part of you that’s burning in your soul You’re always in control.” The message is translated with relative clarity here. What’s more, it is another positive message from the band. That positive message, joined with the thoughtful themes featured in the album’s other songs leaves no doubt as to the importance of the album’s lyrical content. When this is considered along with the album’s musical content, the result is a record that prog fans will find well worth hearing at least once if not more. That overall content does a lot to make the album appealing, and is not the last of the album’s most notable elements. Its sequencing rounds out its most important elements.
The album’s sequencing is important to note because it shows how much thought was put into the album’s overall energies. The changes that each song undergoes within itself keeps things interesting for listeners throughout the course of the album’s run. For instance, ‘The Unknown’ opens with the noted vintage Dream Theater influence in its arrangement, what with the keyboards, drumming and guitar line, but then at one point, goes into a more experimental approach, all without losing the song’s energy despite that stylistic change. That experimental sound is driven through its bass and keyboards, nad will certainly keep listeners engaged purely out of interest. As the song ends and transitions into ‘Doors,’ the band goes more into a prog-metal direction, which keeps the album’s energy high. ‘Trial of Escapade,’ as noted, follows ‘Doors’ and boasts its own experimental approach that also maintains the album’s energy in its own right. The stylistic changes continue from that point on, but at no point in the album’s second half does the energy ever let up too much even with those changes. Put simply, the album’s sequence shows just how much time and thought was put into making sure the album flowed easily from one song to the next even with so much going on in each arrangement. That effort paid off, too, so applause goes to whomever was responsible for that aspect of the album. When this is considered along with the impact of the album’s overall content, the whole of the noted elements once more proves why the record deserves to be heard at least once, as it is a viable contender among this year’s new prog rock and metal albums.
Lufeh’s debut album Luggage Falling Down is a viable success for the band. It is a work that holds its own against its current prog counterparts. That is evidenced in part through its musical arrangements, as discussed here. They change style from one to the next, and give listeners a wide range of prog rock and metal opuses even in a span of eight songs and 33 minutes. The album’s lyrical themes are thoughtful and certain to engage listeners just as much as the album’s musical content. The record’s sequencing puts the final touch to its presentation. Each item noted is important in its own right to the whole of the album. All things considered, they make Luggage Falling Down a notable new entry in itself in this year’s field of new prog records, and a notable debut for the band, too.
Luggage Falling Down is available to stream and download through Spotify, Apple Music and Lufeh’s official Bandcamp page. The album’s track list is noted below.
Track Listing:
1. Find My Way (4:25)
2. The Unknown (3:36)
3. Doors (4:06)
4. Trial of Escapade (4:24)
5. My World (4:52)
6. End of The Road (4:05)
7. Escape (4:03)
8. The Edge (4:04)
Album Length: 33:39
More information about Lufeh’s new single and album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Website: http://lufehband.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lufehband
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lufehband
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