J.V. Lightbody - Inner Work (2017)

New Atlantis co-founder Deadboy inhabits his J.V. Lightbody alias for the label’s lush 2nd release with 12 beams of golden, shimmering vibes exploring “the inner realms of consciousness, space and time” under track titles referencing the 64 hexagrams of the I-Ching, the ancient chinese book of changes whose wisdom still resonates with the modern day.

Tapping into a new age zeitgeist which has bubbled up strongly in recent years, possibly thanks as much to a swell of reissued classics as a societal need to assuage anxieties imposed by the modern world, Inner Work arguably serves its purpose in a beautifully absorbing manner. Working to a similar brief as Yamaneko’s recent Spa Commissions for Local Action, Lightbody offers the listener tender space to unravel thoughts and dreams thru sheets of diaphanous, pastel-hued harmonies and wistful melodic flocking which, at best, offer transcendence from earthly matters, and at the least a very sweet distraction from what ails ya.

Effectively an antibiotic for SAD, or a magnetic dose of vitamin D for overworked souls, Inner Work gets right under the skin with assured efficacy, and should be warmly recommended to anyone who has encountered and fallen for the likes of Laraaji, Pauline Anna Strom or K. Leimer in recent years, or likewise been smitten by Yamaneko’s gorgeous new turn.

Tracklist:
01. JV Lightbody - Approach
02. JV Lightbody - Encountering (Coming to Meet)
03. JV Lightbody - Pushing Upward
04. JV Lightbody - The Great Bowl (Sacred Vessel)
05. JV Lightbody - Easy Progress
06. JV Lightbody - Transition (Before Completion)
07. JV Lightbody - Return (The Turning Point)
08. JV Lightbody - The Taming Power of the Gentle
09. JV Lightbody - Contemplation (View)
10. JV Lightbody - Darkening of the Light
11. JV Lightbody - Limitation (Due Measure)
12. JV Lightbody - Grace (Adornment)