With the spacious songs of her fifth album, Beating of the Sun, Lisa Richards explores the tough subjects of grief and loss with both strength and fragility. Richards’ nuanced voice, surrounded by cello, accordion and melodica augmenting the guitars, bass and organ, which, though rich, give the songs openness, allowing her unique intonation and evocative lyrics to shine through.
“I love space in music,” says the Australian native now living in New York. “It gives the voice and the lyrics room to breathe and you can hear all the nuances. I try to get to the essence of things, of people, situations, stories.” Beating of the Sun is due out on Jan. 22, 2013.
MP3:”Beating of the Sun” from Beating Of The Sun:
The haunting title track off Beating of the Sun became the inspiration for the whole album, but Richards didn’t realize it till the rest of the songs were written. Minimalist percussion evokes echoing footsteps and acoustic guitar give Richards’ voice the space to go from vulnerable pointillistic shots of emotion to soaring arcs. “I wrote all of these songs a couple of years ago after my mother died,” says Richards. “The song ‘Beating of the Sun’ was about grief. It’s that time after someone has gone when you still feel them come in and out of your consciousness. ‘Walking with ghosts’ I call it. That was the kick off for all of the other songs.”
