Lux Prima – Karen O & Danger Mouse (Album Review)

In their first collaborative project together, producer Danger Mouse and front woman from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs Karen O offer a true music experience in an album that seeks to find a place, not a sound, as quoted by Danger Mouse himself. Lux Prima (Meaning “First Light”), is a spacey, dreamy, and ethereal experience that’s primary purpose is to create a soundscape with its aesthetics and vibe, thanks to Danger Mouse.

Utilizing an array of orchestral arrangements with infusions of Synth, Americana, Trip Hop, and Pop Punk influences, Danger Mouse offers a medley of genres harking from both his discography and Karen O’s as well. Creating a soundscape that is melodramatic, disassociating, and whimsical paired with the light and deliberate vocal performance of Karen O furthers the layers of intricacy of the creative talents of this album.

Thematically, the album has reoccurring motifs of darkness, women empowerment, love, and abstract lyricism throughout to perpetuate particular themes of total enumeration, devoted time and effort, and euphoric feelings from love all poetically and cryptically written.

With lyricism full of oxymorons (Lux Prima), women empowerment (Redeemer), melodrama (Drown), and disassociation (Reveries), there is a seamless transition between vibes while maintaining a cohesive feel to the project. Perfectly bookended, the album starts with Lux Prima. This 9-minute orchestral intro translates to “First Light” which perfectly juxtaposes the outro, Nox Lumina, an orchestral arrangement that translates to “Last Light” which offers a conclusive feeling similar to a gradual powering down to the album.

In-between these bookends, Danger Mouse creates soundscapes so visceral (i.e. Reveries) that it gives goosebumps in its use of sound, space, and post-production modulations.

With tracks such as Woman leaning more toward the sound of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs juxtaposed to tracks such as Reveries which sees Karen O offering an acoustic touch, this album finds Karen O exploring styles both familiar and new successfully throughout. With catchy songs and light such as Leopard’s Tongue then met with opposing tracks such as Drown, Danger Mouse carefully curates the arrangement of tracks to be both fresh and familiar.

Rating/Excellent – Danger Mouse & Karen O’s collaborative album succeeds in what they sought out to do; to find a place rather than find a sound. With whimsical, ethereal, and psychedelic influences creating these spacey, deep, and contemplative soundscapes, Danger Mouse’s ear for production and post-production modifications is on full display here. Karen O’s soft and careful vocals paired with the instrumentation’s versatility and the lyricism’s abstract perfectly meld together for an all-encompassing cohesive piece. More of a musical experience than a typical album, this project succeeds both as individual songs and as a coherent whole for an experience that is mostly accessible to the masses.

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