Lustre evokes an august air on his eight album A Thirst for Summer Rain. This time his keyboards conjure up a vast imaginary expanse that feels epic rather than macabre. The melodies hang in the air like drizzle, reminiscent of the tranquil new age of Michael Jones.
They continuously rise and fall, evoking a mood of exploration while simultaneously staying humble. “Quiescence” starts off modestly, its wistful melody widened in scope later on by grand synthesizers, subtle guitar distortions and subdued screams of sorrow. “Thirst” instead feels more active in its approach from its stunning intro onward where only during a delicate lull the keyboards resound without back-up.
Lustre even skips the screams in the verses of “Faith”, a tragic pop ballad where the guitar breathes in the wondrous airs of quiet synthesizers. Same for the closer “Alleviation”, where just as on “Faith” the melodies sometimes remind one of trance music. At last sounds of rain slowly take over as teased by the album title in a manner reminiscent of Evanescence’s best track “Eternal”.
Again Lustre delivers an album where elfin melodies woven together loop over steady beats. Although one could charge the artist with endlessly repeating this formula, that fails to take notice of his strengths as a tinkerer. Although not as sublime as Blossom (2015), with A Thirst for Summer Rain he creates some of his most intricate work to date.
Rating: Worth a Listen