Lily's Ocean Revelations

Lily's Ocean Revelations

Bruce Von Stiers

Lily Vakili has fronted a band with her name on it. She has also had a solo career. Her music is mostly what I would describe as alt folk infused with blues and rock.

Lily has a new album. At first the album's title might seem a bit different. But the album reflects Lily's newfound understanding of her life and existence. The title of the album is Oceans of Kansas. And the songs on the album have more of a rock tone than some of the earlier music that I've reviewed from Lily.

Per the press release for the album, Lily had an overnight stay in Hays, Kansas. In that town, there is a museum, the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. At the museum there is a display depicting how Kansas, and most of the Midwest plains, had once been part of an inland ocean. Observing this display, Lily had a revelation of her life and existence. In her words, Lily said, “I understand something, that I am the archivist, archaeologist, of my own life.” The songs on this album reflect Lily's life and times. That is, what she's gone through, her life now and life in the future.

Lily did all of the vocals. Seth Barden was on bass. Eric Burns played guitar on the album. David Mann played the flute and saxophone, and Chris St. Hilaire played the piano and did percussion. Reed Turchi played slide guitar, and Joseph Yount was on drums

The album was produced by Reed Turchi at Second Take Sound, NYC.

Right out of the box, Lily brings forth a rock and blues groove with Okoboji.

Hold On They Say is about the dreams you have as a young person and how life can bog you down and get in your way. It is a pretty good ballad with some great piano and a head bopping beat.

In the song, I've Been Hiding, a woman scorned takes things a bit too far. So, she's hiding from the lord, so that he can't see what she's done. It is a bluesy ballad with slick guitar.

Maybe It's All Over has some soft, almost haunting at times killer saxophone. She thinks that their relationship is over, “maybe you've got better things to do?”

Photograph has a kind of Mediterranean tone to it. It's about someone having it all, but does it make them happy?

One Human Being has an almost samba beat with some cool flute music.

April Fools has some more of that great flute music. It helps the song, because the vocals don't have a lot of range.

Rocket has a sound like it almost wants to a Dylan song.

Tannersville is a song about times gone by and opportunities missed. The song was also on Lily's album, Tannersville, that she did with her band last year.

The last song on the album is a trimmed down radio edit of I've Been Hiding.

The songs on the album do seem to show Lily's reflections on life. But, unfortunately, I felt that the vocals didn't meet the emotional range prescribed by the lyrics. The music on the songs was good, and I especially liked the flute on the songs.

This album did provide me with a bit of obscure inspiration. I live in Kansas and have been to Hays a few times. But I have never been to the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. I now feel inspired to go back to Hays and visit the museum. And to stand in front of the ocean display like Lily did. Perhaps I will have a revelation like she did.

Oceans of Kansas was released on October 17th .

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