Lil
The Space Between
Spectropol Records
spectropol.com

A sense of both wonderment and foreboding come creeping up your spine while listening to The Space Between, the new release from artist LIL, on Bellingham’s Spectropol Records. If there was background chatter in an alien world filled with strange creatures who could be friend or foe, this EP would be it. LIL has birthed a creation of unique ambient pitter-pattering, and while you won’t be singing along with your friends anytime soon (not that there are any words to sing to) there’s something strangely hypnotic about the soundscapes floating into your consciousness.
Early songs on the record invoke imagery of a bizarre wilderness. In “Requiem for a Clock,” you can hear the babbling of a foreign stream and the throb of some tribal rhythms floating through trees of atmospheric sound. It turns darker on the track “Amabilis Insania,” where ghostly ringings conjure up a sense of dread, as if you were unsuspecting prey about to be pounced by a predator. The song “No Free Will” on the other hand utilizes some more typical aspects of music with somber acoustic guitar playing, but with its own haunting spin. You feel like a spectator viewing the normal world through a warped and dirty window pane, and despite its darkness, it’s actually a quite refreshing breather from the noise-loops offered in previous tracks.
LIL’s The Space Between may not be in the realm of mainstream music but it has new and interesting imagery-invoking sounds to offer. They are ghostly and haunting at times but undeniably calming in their own way and are waiting to caress the ears of brave listeners looking for a way to expand their musical palate.
-Raleigh Davis