Lunatic Soul The World Under Unsun
Lunatic Soul Progressive Voyages Review PV080
Lunatic Soul
The World Under Unsun
A review of Lunatic Souls' The World Under Unsun. How does one approach this? Perhaps it's best not to, and if so, then certainly not analytically or rationally, in my opinion. So I'll just share some of my thoughts here after listening to the double album several times on different days.
Right from the first two lines of the opening title track, opens up another interpretation of the cover artwork for me, which I now consider even more ingenious.
‚under a fractured sky
i mended myself with golden paint‘
In Japan, they have a method of repairing broken porcelain with the aid of gold. This association now literally springs to my mind. And I notice that the two CDs are slightly different in design. Like the front and the back of the same ‚thing‘ maybe. Well, there must be reasons for this, but exploring them would take longer than this review can wait.
And that brings us to the core of this review, what I have to say about it: in the most positive sense, it is artistic expression.
And Mariusz Duda is one of the most remarkable artists of our time. How do I justify this bold statement? Well, he has managed to be unmistakable – you can tell when he has had a hand in something. Many musicians seem to be inspired by his work. At least, I keep finding references to his style in the music of many contemporary musicians. Often in the vocal style, often in the mood of the music.
Back to The World Under Unsun – the eighth and final work by Lunatic Soul. The booklet lists the order of the eight releases, creating a continuous story line*). Reason enough to buy all the previous releases, because The World Under Unsun alone already feels like a sonic movie. And as that, it feels like a varied, coherent film – you can experience episodes with cuts that indicate a change of scene. By “cut”, I don't mean an interruptive break, rather a change of scene in a visual translation, so to speak.
I hear many emotional moods and nuances. This makes me think – not for the first time – how much true artists really turn themselves inside out. My view is that artists like Duda don't “write” music (I've always considered this expression misguided), but rather “find” it in some way. In the sense that the music somehow flows, or pours out of them. Probably a kind of catalyst.
In doing so, they often “bleed” in front of everyone’s eyes, thus we can connect with our own stories, and ultimately feel somehow “understood” because we realise we are not alone with our internal struggles.
And yet very few seem to be able to see it that way.
This reminds me of the beginning of Antoine de Saint Exupéry's “The Little Prince”, which is about the drawing of “a hat” (although it actually shall depict a boa constrictor, eating an elephant, but the grown ups only see a hat in it). The mention of this parable is certainly not accidental, with a clear nod to the Riverside track ‚Lost (Why Should I Be Frightened by a Hat?)‘. And so I imagine someone like Duda: one of those who see beneath the surface, and yet every so often feel alone in their perception, leading to frustration.
Am I right in my interpretation? Who knows? It would, however, make sense to me.
Musically, there is little analytical to say for me. I find that such music is not so much to be perceived rationally, but rather has to be felt. The World Under Unsun takes me on an emotional journey, through moodscapes – and I dare not interpret the meaning of the individual tracks; to do so, I would have to listen, read and feel many, many more times, and put it into the context of the back catalogue. And that, for me, is the interesting thing about such a work, and interpretations might tremendously vary through the perception of the listener.
For me, he expresses something that comes from deep within, and he deploys whatever instrumentation, styles, and influences, he feels is usefully adding to the whole expression – that's how I perceive it. Like a colour palette, and the motto seems: ‚the sky's the limit‘. And in doing so, he also pushes the boundaries of genres, in my opinion – I see him as a kind of spearhead, a standard-bearer of artistic, fusional expression. And I am glad we still have this kind of art in our world.
As a summary, what we have here with ‚The World Under Unsun‘ is, in my view, absolutely remarkable and truly deserves the title “masterpiece”, which is used quite inflationarily these days. A must have, and something to return to over and over again.
By the way: you can safely play this almost 90 minutes double album in the background, it's absolutely possible. With its ebbs and flows, it CAN also serve as a varied musical backdrop. Of course, it doesn't really come into its own that way; only by really listening can you appreciate the depth of the musical narrative, and poetic journey.
The World Under Unsun is a highly recommended must have piece of art for everyone who appreciates artistic expressional music, at top notch production.
Available as:
Limited 2 CD Mediabook
Gatefold black 2 LP & LP Booklet
Limited Gatefold transparent sun yellow-red marbled 2 LP & LP Booklet
Website: https://theworldunderunsun.com/
*) Quote form the booklet on the chronological order of ‚all its stories‘:
‚The World Under Unsun > Walking On a Flashlight Beam > Lunatic Soul I > Lunatic Soul II > Impressions > Through Shaded Woods > Under The Fragmented Sky > Fractured > The World Under Unsun, etc.‘
Author Claudia Kanzler