Song Introduction: Ry - Life Force
Ry’s Life Force is quite a simply beautiful piece, adorned with flourishing reverb and cascading soundscapes. As if imbued with the dualities of Gaia herself, Life Force crashes and flows like a mountainside river on a rain-filled afternoon in the countryside. On the surface, to less practiced listeners, Life Force might sound like an early 2000s Indie Rock song slowed to a 5th of its original pace, as it clocks in at just over 6 minutes long, but there’s a little more happening under it all.
While the crunchy wailing guitars completely monopolize our attention almost violently, the background reverberates with slower peaceful effects, providing a vibrant counterpoint to the aforementioned chaos. The drums themselves experience a conflict of their own, as at times they seem to trample the ground like a speeding hurd of black metal wildebeest, then on a hairpin turn they draw back to an almost military march followed by a meandering to the conclusion. The song is brimming with aural chiaroscuro.
One can almost feel the culmination of the universe rising from the primordial soup and Gaia and her Titans taking their first steps towards the terrible and the magnificent. Life Force is certainly in keeping with Ry’s signature approach of open and spacey but this time Ry shows that they could hold the stage with terrifiers such as Deafheaven or Wolves in the Throne Room as well as celestiale such as My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive.