5 Songs I Love w/ Lumwest

We sat down with the phenomenal Light Once Lost on the release of his new EP 'What Doesn't Steal You' to discuss what influences went into creating his unique sound. Be sure to check out 'Exit Clause' at the bottom of the page, and follow him along his journey!

Tame Impala - Apocalypse Dreams

It´s no secret that Kevin Parker has had a large influence on my music, but also on me as a person. Like many others in my generation, he was my gateway drug into psychedelic music. And when I first heard the song “Apocalypse Dreams” from his second full-length album “Lonerism”, It felt like I fell in love with music all over again. The soundscape is generally super wide and each instrument is crystal clear. I love the energy the song sets up in the beginning, sending me on a fast-pace march towards the climax in the middle, which explodes into the biggest eargasm I´ve ever experienced. The drums go into a half-time drop, and the guitars take center stage with a wide, huge multi-octave sound. I can only explain it as feeling like the whole universe retracts then explodes.

The Beatles - I Want You (She´s So Heavy)

No list is complete without The Beatles somewhere in there. It was a tough decision between this and “Tomorrow Never Know's" from “Revolver”, as I do think it's more psychedelic and hypnotic. However, “I Want You” from “Abbey Road” is just so influential to me I couldn't resist picking it. It has a riff so fierce and dramatic, it feels like I'm in a movie scene every time I listen to it. Creating recognisable riffs is something I started finding really helpful when writing songs and a lot of my appreciation for such motifs comes from songs like this.

Altin Gün - Rakıya Su Katamam

Altin Gün has slowly grown as one of my favorite psychedelic rock bands within the past two years, and introduced me to the beautiful world of Turkish psychedelic-folk music. Altin Gün´s mix of great psychedelic guitar sounds and exotic musical scales combine to make a super recognizable sound. They have made a huge impact on my music as it inspired me to explore eastern scales myself.

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks

Led Zeppelin is probably one of my biggest inspirations for my next project with their phaser-fuzzed guitars and large drum sounds, and this song is no exception. Jimmy´s iconic violin bow wah-guitar technique is on full display here and creates one of my favorite intros to any song. It also inspires me to experiment more with different guitar techniques myself. The loud, compressed hall-reverbed drum sound is of course almost just as iconic and is definitely a big inspiration for the drums on my upcoming album.

Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again

I once heard someone say this is like the Bohemian Rhapsody of psychedelic music and I couldn´t agree more. The amount of styles and tempo changes this song switches between without feeling disorienting is honestly impressive in itself. The song constantly feels like it´s leading up to something, and eventually it gives the listener that release when the final switchup arrives, almost reminding me of the instrumental breaks in “The Court Of The Crimson King” by “King Crimson”. Such odd and unusual song structure is a huge part of what makes psychedelic music so interesting to me, and this song inspires me to be more daring myself when arranging my songs.

Lumwest - Companions of Time