Very often, record covers can be a tricky proposition. An artist can come up with one that by accident or intentionally gives you a completely different impression about what kind of music is included on the release it graces. It also certainly depends on the audience it is intended for.
The case in point is Euphonious, the latest EP by Chawa (Hava) Lilith, a singer-songwriter from L.A. You see, Lilith is into ambient vocal music and the EP is based on her own meditation practice.
If you are into meditation and similar practices like yoga, the cover of the EP would come as a connector to nature and the process of relaxation.
On the other hand, for uninitiated, ‘regular’ music fans, it just might look like a cover of yet another pop/dance record, so it is up to your taste to pick it up or pass on it.
But passing on it would certainly be a mistake, whether you are a meditation practitioner or not. In the manner of some more renowned vocal ambient/experimental artists like Julianna Barwick, Grouper, or Noveller, Lilith has an excellent sense of how to combine vocals and instrumentation to create a mood that goes beyond being just background music for meditation, work, or anything else. Epithets like ‘floating,’ ethereal’ or even ‘spiritual’ are actually quite fitting this time around.
During times when we still spend time closed in, often alone, Euphonious comes exactly as its title says, whatever your think of the cover. And if that cover brought you in with a completely different impression, you will still find yourself in the right place.
