Review: Lili Refrain ‘Nagalite’
Lili Refrain is a true pioneer: a seeker, a soothsayer, and a vessel. Her body of work is far more than a collection of songs or sonnets; it’s a sonic chemistry, using the medium of sound to narrate a path far beyond our realms – an alchemy that invokes an awareness as spiritual as it is majestic. On this latest album, Nagalite, her sixth to date, we find a suite split into four movements.
Each invokes a stage in the metamorphosis of an imagined serpent, a lifecycle encircling from beginning to end, and back to rebirth. Segmented into the phases – Exuvia, Nagal, Coil, and ultimately Lithos – each ritual expresses a period of ongoing maturity and development.
Exuvia, derived from the Latin for ‘things stripped from a body’, is the idea of the initial emergence from the cocoon, a shedding if you will, and as such, it’s in its rightful place as the album opener. It’s a three-and-a-half-minute exploration of that escape from the vessel, like a ‘birth’ into existence. As the music rolls in, it carries all the hallmarks of an ecstatic unfolding into the ether. The early, ethereal vocals are like the first breaths being taken, ushering us into a far greater expanse. For all its minimalist qualities, it is a sonically powerful and serenely enveloping introduction.
Nagal refers to ‘Naga’, which is Sanskrit for ‘Serpent’ and considered a ‘divine or semi-divine serpent being’in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, according to our pal Google. With that in mind, to be ‘Nagal’ is to be serpent-like, and this track induces those ideas beautifully. Feeling somewhat reptilian, the music slithers across the soundwaves. The rhythmic tub-thumping is trance-inducing and hypnotising, like conjuring an image of a snake charmer enticing its prey from a basket.
Add to this those mystical, lush vocals, and it really does feel like we are being put under a spell. Coming in at just over seven minutes, doesn’t feel like anything except timeless. The pulsing, considered pace, and the addition of the vibrant, methodical guitar throughout does nothing but add another mysterious layer to the spell we are being put under.
trance-inducing and hypnotising, like conjuring an image of a snake charmer enticing its prey…
It’s little wonder this was chosen as the lead single. It’s subtle, trance-like vibe will easily pull you in, and it’s for that reason I can understand why it was put out ahead of the full record. To be fair, this was the first piece I heard – via good old YouTube – and this is what drove me to want to review the album and delve into Lili Refrain even deeper.
Track three, Coil, is much more literal in its meaning. The piece evokes the feeling of being slowly enveloped by the serpent – that concept of things getting closer and closer until there is no escaping one’s fate. Over the course of the nearly seven-minute experience, it never drastically changes in tone, temperament, or mood, yet subtly draws you into the eye of the storm. You won’t even notice until it’s too late, your full focus shifting to where to escape next. Its hypnotic prowess is such that while little nuances can be picked out, the listener will be oblivious to the overall trapping.
Finishing off the four-movement suite is Lithos, derived from the ancient Greek word for stone, rock, or pebble. It’s here that things reach their finale, bringing a sense of returning to the earth to complete the life cycle. This is the longest of the four pieces, coming in at twelve and a half minutes, and it’s here where the feelings of ageing, slowing, and ultimately passing are felt most intensely. Its slow, pensive, ambient throb is truly heartbreaking; it feels like a true climax.
The vocals are operatically beautiful – powerful, passionate, and sombrely emotive. Unsurprisingly, I couldn’t understand what was being sung; my grasp of English is rudimentary at best, let alone another language! But I could feel every single syllable like pain in the heart, sinking deeper with each passing second.
If pushed for a two-word summary, it would be ‘beautifully enigmatic’, not just for this final track, but for the entire album. I initially thought it would be hard to write a lengthy review for a four-track release, but it hasn’t been. I can’t find enough words to explain just how incredible I’ve found this whole experience, and going forward will mean going backwards, as now I’ve got a whole back catalogue to explore and embrace.
Label: Subsound Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Lee Beamish
