The Lazarus Plot are strange. An un-orthodox opening sentence for a review, sure, but this band are strange. There are things I hate about ‘The Sun Shines Down’ but there are a couple of really cool things about it. Bad news first: the vocal delivery sounds to clean and breathy, and while hardly lacking emotion, still feels like a lazy display. Secondly, the lyrics are cliché-ridden and tired: “If I had the choice, I’d rather be with you” – I don’t believe him. I mean, I know I’m not the target of his narrative but either way, it just doesn’t sound convincing. There’s not much going on in this song either, it relies on a relatively weak chorus to carry it, making the song sound quite limp and lethargic.
The good things: the samples they use aren’t for the sake of it, they are used cleverly, and are integral – were it not for the Massive Attack influences, this band would sound really dull. The drumbeat’s effective, and really should play a bigger role.
Overall then? This song could have been good, had it shown any personality or character, but it didn’t. Unfortunately for The Lazarus Project, the chord changes are too simplistic, the vocal delivery lacks bite. To their credit, I’ve not heard anything like this recently, but being original doesn’t always equal being good. The Lazarus Plot are strange.