Lydia Burrell album released

Removador Recordings and Solutions, the record label co-founded by My Morning Jacket frontman Yim Yames and former MMJ guitarist Johnny Quaid, has just released Lydia Burrell, the debut effort from producer Alexander Smith under the moniker Lydia Burrell. The album is a juxtaposition of richly detailed electronic production and his earnest voice. Aside from recording and production assistance from Yames and another friend, Ben Mundane, the collection of songs is a DIY affair, entirely the product of Smith’s creation.

Smith has been writing and performing music since high school. His interests led him eventually to pursue a masters degree in music theory and composition from University of Louisville. Taking the name from a character in an abandoned screen play, Smith eventually chose “Lydia Burrell” as his musical persona when he began experimenting with electronic music. He has spent the last eight years building, tuning, and maintaining church pipe organs – an experience that has been an impact on his approach to music. “I think it’s helped me to understand and appreciate the craftsmanship and process of building things,” Smith explains.

Some of the album’s tracks, like “No One,” feature gloriously dirty, chunky basslines in the center while others, such as “That Light,” eschew head-nodding grooves in favor of complex, glitchy rhythms. “Ring” may be the album’s most pop-leaning moment, but the track still features the decidedly gritty drums and lo-fi synth sounds that define the rest of the album. That glue that holds each song together is Smith’s vocals, which are soothing despite carrying a trace of the sadness that informs many of the lyrics. Amidst a sea of synthetic textures, Smith’s themes of heartache and loss sound especially human.