Sophe Lux & The Mystic is an American

art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...

band notable for its theatrical performances and its blending of

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

with

operatic Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

and

chamber pop Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of string section, strings, horn section, horns, piano, and voca ...

elements. The band has released four albums, '' All Are One'' in (2016), ''

Hungry Ghost Hungry ghost is a concept in Buddhism, and Chinese traditional religion, representing beings who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way. The terms ' literally "hungry ghost", are the Chinese translation of the term ''pret ...

'' in (2009), ''

Waking the Mystics Waking may refer to: *Waking up Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is dist ...

'' (2007), and '' Plastic Apple'' (2002).

History

Sophe Lux was formed in 2002 in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. It began as a vehicle for singer-songwriter Gwynneth Haynes, the younger sister of film director

Todd Haynes Todd Haynes (; born January 2, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films span four decades with themes examining the personalities of well-known musicians, dysfunctional and dystopian societies, and blurred gender ...

(''

Velvet Goldmine ''Velvet Goldmine'' is a 1998 musical drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes from a story by Haynes and James Lyons. It is set in Britain during the glam rock days of the early 1970s, and tells the story of fictional bisexual pop star B ...

'', ''

I'm Not There ''I'm Not There'' is a 2007 musical drama film directed by Todd Haynes, and co-written by Haynes and Oren Moverman. It is an unconventional biographical film inspired by the life and music of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Six actors de ...

'', '' Far From Heaven''). The

band began incorporating elements of

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

, and

''Plastic Apple'' (2002)

The band's debut album, ''Plastic Apple'' was produced and engineered by Larry Crane, who had previously worked with American groups

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member J ...

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and model. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a ...

, and

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

, at Jackpot Records in Portland. Larry Crane played as a multi instrumentalist on the album, with John Mowen (

The Decemberists The Decemberists are an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band consists of Colin Meloy ( lead vocals, guitar, principal songwriter), Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (piano, keyboards, accordion), Nate ...

, Steve Malkmus & the Jicks) on drums, and Mike Clark (Steve Malkmus & The Jicks) on keys. ''Plastic Apple'' was mastered by Jeff Saltzman (

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyboar ...

). The album was released on Haynes' record label Zarthustra Records in 2002. It explores themes of love and tragedy and features a song dedicated to

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, Prose poetry, prose poet, cultural critic, Philology, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philo ...

, one of Haynes' noted muses. With references to

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

, and

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

, critics dubbed Haynes the girl singer-songwriter for the brainy set. Reviewers of the album referenced Haynes' musical style with comparisons to Cat Power,

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

, and

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

. The track "Void of Course" also appeared on CW network TV show ''It's a Beautiful Life''.

''Waking the Mystics'' (2007)

The second full length Sophe Lux album, ''

Waking The Mystics Waking may refer to: *Waking up Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is dist ...

'' featured more theatrical vocals with operatic pop and electronic

influences. The album was recorded entirely at The Type Foundry in Portland, OR engineered by Adam Seltzer of

M. Ward Matthew Stephen Ward (born October 4, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Portland, Oregon. Ward's solo work is a mixture of folk and blues-inspired Americana analog recordings; he has released ten studio albums since 19 ...

and The Decemberists. The track "Marie Antoinette Robot" was mixed by

Brian Vibberts Brian Vibberts is an American audio engineer, a native of Portland, Connecticut, who has been active since 1991. He is a 7-time Grammy Award winner (6x Grammy, 1 Latin Grammy) and has participated in the making of numerous albums that have resul ...

(

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

). The album features Gwynneth Haynes on lead vocals, guitar, and keys, Twayn Williams on guitars, Scott Appleman on Drums, Kelly Goodwin on keys, and Erika Miller on bass. The album was produced primarily by Haynes with the support of Williams, Appleman, Goodwin, and Miller. Choral arrangements for the

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

inspired song "Marie Antoinette Robot" were written by Camelia Nine. ''Waking the Mystics'' was released on the Zarathustra Records label in 2007. The cover for the album, "Mr. Bunny" is by pop surrealist

Marion Peck Marion Peck (born October 3, 1963 in Manila, the Philippines) is a pop surrealist painter based in the United States. Biography Marion Peck was born on October 3, 1963 in Manila, the Philippines, while her family was on a trip around the world ...

. The album explores themes hypnosis and consumerism, and has a song dedicated to Nietzsche's muse

Lou Salome Lou may refer to: __NOTOC__ Personal name * Lou (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lou (German singer) * Lou (French singer) * Lou (surname 娄), the 229th most common surname in China * Lou (surname 楼), the 269th most co ...

. ;Reception The album was well received with Haynes' songs being compared to the likes of

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, The Decemberists, and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

. The track "Electra 33" appeared on CW promos for TV show ''

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...

'', and the track "Target Market" appeared on Starz Network TV show ''

Gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

''. The video for the song "Target Market" was shown at

MIDEM Midem is the acronym for Marché International du Disque et de l'Édition Musicale, which is organised annually in and around the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. The trade show, organized by Reed MIDEM, a subsidiary of Re ...

Cannes, France Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...

in 2010.

''Hungry Ghost'' (2009)

The third Sophe Lux release ''Hungry Ghost'' (2009), features theatrical art-rock and experimental styles inspired by

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

, and Kate Bush. The album features Gwynneth Haynes on keys and lead vocals, Kent Sisson on drums, Jeff Grazier on bass, Ken Yates on guitars, and Brianna Ratterman on keys. It was recorded and produced by Sean Flora (

The Shins The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's cu ...

) at The Magic Closet and Jackpot! in Portland. The album was again mixed by Jeff Saltzman. This album's art rock sensibilities gained comparisons to Queen, Kate Bush,

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

, and

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...

''All Are One (2016)''

''All Are One'' is an art rock album released August 19, 2016 by Gwynneth Haynes under the moniker Sophe Lux & The Mystic. Haynes wrote the songs, sang the vocals, played keys, synths, drum loops, and made string arrangements. Additional musical support was offered by the album's engineer Larry Crane (Elliott Smith, Cat Power, Sleater Kinney, Pavement, and The Decemberists). Crane contributed bass, guitars, and drum loops. Additional credits include: Paul Pulvirenti (Elliott Smith) on drums and Dan Lowinger for guitar on two tracks. The album was recorded at Jackpot! Recording Studio in Portland, OR. The album was mastered by Garrett Haines at Treelady Studios in Pittsburgh, PA. The album cover “Frequency Of Flower of Life” was created by artist Emily Arnold. ;Reception ''All Are One'' is receiving positive critical reviews with comparisons to Kate Bush, Air, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Janis Joplin, Florence & The Machine, Aretha Franklin.

Chamber collaborations

Sophe Lux has performed and collaborated with

chamber ensemble Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numbe ...

s including Portland's

Classical Revolution Classical Revolution is a chamber music organization known for holding performances of classical music in unusual spaces. Charith Premawardhana founded the organization in 2006 at San Francisco’s Revolution Café. As of 2013, the organization had ...

, and

The Portland Cello Project The Portland Cello Project is a collective of cello players in Portland, Oregon who have been performing since October 2006. History For almost a year, the group performed ambiguously under the names "Celli" and "Cellodarity" and eventually, excl ...

. In these performances, arrangements were crafted for chamber instruments to perform live with Sophe Lux. In the band's performance with The Portland Cello Project, the Sophe Lux song, "Target Market" was performed with a score created by Mattie Kaiser for four cellos. In another performance with Classical Revolution Portland, a string quartet arrangement was created to accompany Sophe Lux in a performance of the song "Fill Me Up with Grace." The choral arrangement on the track "Marie Antoinette Robot 2073" appearing on '' The Mystics'' was composed by Camelia Nine. The baroque introduction to the song "Electra 33" on "Waking the Mystics" was arranged by Kelly Goodwin.

Videos

Haynes is a multimedia artist who has made self-produced videos for ''All Are One'', ''The Love Comet'' which is about an alien child in our future, was premiered in Stereo Embers Magazine and ''Love is Waiting'' premiered in Blurt online Magazine.

Members

Current

*Gwynneth Haynes - keys, lead vocals, guitar (2002–present)

Past/Guest

*Ken Yates - guitar *Twayn Willams - guitar *Larry Crane - multi-instrumentalist *Mike Clark - keys *Kelly Goodwin - keys *Brianna Ratterman - keys *Scott Appleman - drums *Kent Sisson - drums *John Moen - drums *Jeff Grazier - bass *Erika Miller - bass

Discography

Albums

*2002: ''Plastic Apple'' *2007: ''

'' *2009: ''Hungry Ghost'' EP *2016: ''All Are One'' Sophe Lux & The Mystic: ''"All Are One"''

References

External links

Sophe Lux
at Howlin Wuelf Media
Sophe Lux & The Mystic
on Bandcamp {{Authority control Musical groups established in 2002 Musical groups from Portland, Oregon American experimental rock groups Indie rock musical groups from Oregon 2002 establishments in Oregon