Gungor – Love Song to Life Review

A while back, we looked at the single “A Million I’s” by Gungor, a fascinating single that was musically rich while retaining a sparse and clean sound. We found a lot to like with that track, and we were excited to see Gungor take their ideas to the next level with a full album release. Now, their album “Love Song to Life” has been released, and true to our word, we’ll be putting it through a full review.

“Love Song to Life” is, on first listen, a lot more experimental than we had expected. “A Million I’s” is the first actual song on the album, and it’s excellent but fairly conventional next to everything else. The next track, “A La La Le,” goes in a more electronic direction, with club beats and upbeat lyrics, belying a more ‘island’ vibe in its instrumentals. The album goes in fascinatingly divergent paths, and we’re all for it.

“Wolves” is a highlight, using slow, plodding synths to build a tense atmosphere. It’s rhythmic and catchy, and the vocals maintain their pace, keeping the nail-biting tension. Into the second half of the track, the instrumentals breathe more, evolving into an almost living, breathing soundscape of sound. Despite that, the vocals stay the same, and the result is striking.

Following this, we have the title track, and this time we veer into a soft acoustic ballad. Isa Ma contributes her sweet vocals to the way, and it’s a genuinely beautiful moment on the album and a nice break from the last track. This vibe carries over into the next song, “I Still Love You,” which expands on the concept musically in vibrant ways.

“I Forgive You” is similar to “A Million Eyes” in that it’s more conventional but accompanied by a dreamy synth riff; the song’s atmosphere is airy and somewhat cheerful. There’s a lot to love on this one. By sharp contrast, “Everything Is” opens with peaceful choirs and strings, growing into a soaring, chaotic epic that climaxes, and gently comes back down to Earth.

Following that, “Holy x5” leans towards R&B and Gospel sounds, with simple vocals building around the song’s massively lush soundscape. Things then slow down with “Remember,” a hypnotic tune that slowly rings in organ dirges, with the soothing “Rubber Bridge Guitar Suite No. 1” closing things out. Then, as one last surprise, “Hey Na Na (Rejoice)” comes in as the true closer, a catchy little feel-good song that does its job well.

“Love Song to Life” is an excellent album for Gungor, one that plays with ideas, both thematically and musically. It evokes similar thoughts to albums like Queen’s “A Night at the Opera,” with substantial operatic sections and various musical influences coming together harmoniously. Give this one a look; it’s something special!

Listen on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/45i2eUAUY5BkEiBHR4cKw8

Website:

http://www.gungormusic.com/

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