50CCM50 returns this Thursday with part 4 of our countdown, but in the meantime, here’s another giveaway opportunity for our readers.
Jyro Xhan, part of the duo Mortal and the band Fold Zandura, struck out with a new band in 2007 named Lucena. They released an EP titled Mercury Light, were informed another band already had the name Lucena, changed the name to LCNA, and in December of 2009 announced the band under either name was no more. There was word, however, that a variation of the group with a different name would be recording soon.
This was a little more than a year ago and it has been radio-silence since then. In terms of quality, Mercury Light is frustratingly good; a rare EP that does what it is designed to do, which is to make you want more. It leans more on the pop/ballad side of the Zandura spectrum, but retains the pitch shifting guitars, the sense of danger that the music could splinter off into total shoegaze at a moment’s notice, and has Jyro’s (real name, Jeff La Villa) voice.
I don’t think even the most ardent Mortal fans recognized in that moment how good a vocalist he was and is, able to walk that highwire between clean, emotive melody and the dark, fractured freakouts that occasionally bursts out. Of all the things I wish I could have accomplished with this series, aside from shining the best light I could on this music, I really wanted to get Jyro’s stamp on his legacy down in text form. Some things aren’t meant to be.
There’s no reason why one lucky winner can’t experience the music of Lucena for free though. Be the first to answer the trivia question below correctly and you will win an iTunes download of the Mercury Light EP (the recording was only released to iTunes, so for this to work, you need to have an iTunes account).
The question: What were the names of the last Fold Zandura album and the last Mortal album? If you think you know it, send the responses to me at dw.dunphy@gmail.com. The winner will be determined by the correct answer with the earliest e-mail timestamp.
And do stop by this Thursday for 50CCM50 Part Four.
Related articles
- 50CCM50, Part Two (popdose.com)
- 50CCM50, Part Three (popdose.com)
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