SINNER GET READY - Lingua Ignota: Review
Lingua Ignota
is the neo-classical, industrial and generally difficult to quantify with genres project of singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kristin Hayter. She self-released two albums before garnering massive critical acclaim on her third record Caligula in 2019. Since then she's signed to Sargent House records and teased towards SINNER with a pair of singles earlier this year.
Review By Lav:
Like most people I fell completely in love with the music of Lingua Ignota in 2019 on the back of her harrowing, grand emotional statement Caligula in 2019. I went through a phase where I legitimately thought it was the coolest thing in the world to get a matching Caligula tattoo before realizing the emotional and spiritual weight of the implication would probably crush my collarbone. That was weird moving on. I was incredibly excited for this follow-up after diving into Kristin's back catalog and realizing the weight of her survivor anthems and extent of her musical and compositional talent. While the singles for the record took a different turn than I anticipated there is plenty of incredibly emotional grandeur to be found in the tracklist, one that is just as satisfying as Caligula and even more thematic.
SINNER GET READY has a strong thematic poise to it even as Kristin is musing in quite abstract metaphors about spirituality. So as much as I would like to run right to the records lead single I think things are best covered in order. That means THE ORDER OF SPIRITUAL VIRGINS is up first and it wastes no time getting into Kristin's complicated relationship with faith. On top of its fitting title the opening passage features the lyric "All who dare look upon me swear eternal devotion" called out over a harrowing key phrase that paints the song with a spacious grandeur. Around four minutes into the track that relative serenity is broken by crashing walls of instrumentation that rush in extremely close up in the mix. The crashes come in an unpredictable pattern between short sung refrains and shrill instrumentation reverberating that keeps you extremely on edge. The track ends with a surprise spoken word recording that meditates on the value of silence. I think it thematically touches on the tracks expansive instrumental palette but also it's willingness to use space and quiet reserved moments for high impact.
I WHO BEND THE TALL GRASSES is an absolutely horrifying song with Kristin calling out some violent and brutal lyricism into a distant expansive mix. Her performance is so raw and so isolated in that it has a gripping and highly impactful effect, these are some of the most incredible vocals I've ever heard from her The song has a striking intensity to it while walking the line between utter desperation an pockets of overwhelming lust. The result is one of the most astounding things I've heard in a long time. MANY HANDS comes next and features deep rumbling bass sounds paired with shrill metallic slithering to make for an intensely unsettling instrumental sound. Kristen's vocals come in layers that blend in and out of each other and the instrumental palette grows throughout to interpolate some raw wiry strings and an almost drone like hum. The lyrics are clearly the center of attention on the track as Kristen addresses more difficulties with faith returning to some frequent Lingua Ignota themes like her "given name" and the records title phrase of biblical punishment. The instrumental is one of the most onmi-present on the entire record and leaves quite the mark as it slowly wears you down across 5 minutes.
The lead single PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE felt surprisingly reserved to me i initially but it makes a lot more sense at this point on the tracklist. The relatively reserved piano led instrumental follows up the previous tracks oppressive intensity. This is by no means a complaint about the song because Kristin absolutely delivers both on the lyrical front and with some more phenomenal vocals. The gripping sadness and sensation of feeling so trapped comes through vividly in her vocals and the song has even more of an impact on the records tracklist than it initially did as a single. REPENT NOW CONFESS NOW is the first song to deliver on some major folk influences with a simple string performance that sounds like it could be played by an old man in a rocking chair in the middle of the woods. Contrasting this Kristin is calling out lyrics about repenting for you sing to avoid gods brutal punishments with her trademark intensity. The highlight of the song for me is when she describes gods wrath as being more intense than a surgeon and more painful than any wound. While the repetition of "taking your legs" seemed a little silly to me at first with repeat listens I don't think it stands out that much from the other disturbing promises on the track.
THE SACRED LINAMENT OF JUDGEMENT comes next and while it carries the songs thematic arc to a new section it also has one of the less impactful instrumentals. It is probably the most vocally involved songs here with refrains that litter pretty much the entire track. This means that the lyrics need to land and they totally do as she sings about salvation and passing the very biblical judgement that they record has been building up to. Instrumentally this is one of the brightest moments and while it matches the songs lyrics with what sounds like an organ rumbling in the background of an array of chimes I just don't find myself quite as enamored with it. While I don't think I would go out of my way to listen to this song on it's own, I do think it serves a great purpose within the track.
Next up is the second single PERPETUAL FLAME OF CENTRALIA and while this isn't directly part of the song I highly recommend reading up on Centralia and the mine first story upon which the songs metaphor is based because it adds another level of dread and isolation to the track. The sound palette is incredibly stark with just a sparse piano and Kristin's much softer than usual vocal approach. The song is patient but the chilling isolation adds emotional punch to the lyrical desperation on display. The only thing I wish the song has was a bit more involved compositional shifts since the instrumental is so steady.
From this point on we get back to the highlights with MAN IS LIKE A SPRING FLOWER a fascinating crescendo driven song that takes on the core of man. It repeatedly describes the dangerous intensity of mans core. The song makes use of short repetitive vocal refrains that gain intensity as the song goes on throwing the whole thing into an intoxicating tailspin that I can't look away from for a second. The instrumental sounds like a blend of folk at it's most intimate and chamber at it's most expansive which gives the rustic sensations a glow up of biblical proportion. This is yet another absolutely remarkable moment on the album whose grandeur fascinates me every time I hear it and by the conclusion I'm completely in awe.
The closing track THE SOLITACY BRETHREN OF EPHRATA opens up with a vocal sample of a woman using her faith to justify reckless behavior during the COVID pandemic and I think it does an incredible job of explaining Kristin's hesitant approach to faith through the music of Lingua Ignota. This pairs with a beautiful series of refrains that unravel in a wonderfully harmonious way with the rich instrumental palette. The song is an overwhelmingly cathartic finale with Kristin declaring that she has reached paradise and no longer needs to wander. After all the heartache and desperation she has put on display across the record it feels so fulfilling to see her reach some kind of peace. There are flashes on the song that seem to imply that the whole thing might be somewhat in jest, which is frankly one of the most chilling elements of the entire record.
The fact that this song and the entire album has me thinking in such immaculate detail about the fate of Kristin when she leaves us at the end of this emotional journey should tell you how compelling her lyricism and thematic conceptualizing are. The thematic and narrative arc of this record isn't told in direct words, but her metaphors paint a wonderfully realized and emotionally diverse story throughout the tracklist. The emotional rises and falls are as dramatic as they come with hellish, terrifying and mutilating lows working alongside climactic salvation serving highs.
This record is sonically, thematically and compositionally intimidating, there's no denying that. But surrendering yourself to it results it a true musical journey the likes of which you won't hear anywhere else this year. While this record has some shifts from Caligula in both it's theme and instrumental palette there is still so much here that works in the exact same way as it's predecessor, and I can recommend for the same reasons. Causal listening be damned, SINNER GET READY is spectacular. 9/10
