Constantinos Lemesios exerts a certain musical prowess and level of experience on this project, his background in scoring music for film – among other creative endeavors – has resulted in a totally unique, cinematic experience, which at the same time offers a definite level of provocative songwriting; the likes of which you don’t often get alongside of such masterful soundscapes.
It seems strange to think of him as an independent, these tracks are well crafted, well honed, leaning back and forth between the sound of Muse, Radiohead, Manson, and a whole lot in between. Little Boy kicks things off with multiple layers of detail, depth, and intensity. Every moment is professionally executed so as to surround you with the story-line and the emotions underlined within it. Lemesios knows when to stop, when to start, and how to do each with skill and impact.
Adorine follows the opener and re-directs the mood distinctly. Lemesios as a performer is known to use live-looping to create his soundscapes, something you can quite clearly picture throughout this song. The softness reminded me of Incubus a little, the melodic development too – the build up is unique and clever, and this helps the whole thing captivate at every step. If you miss a lyric, which you may – there are many – you’re likely to feel inclined to go back and re-gather it all. Fusing personality and intrigue, Lemesios works hard to utilise the very art of musicianship in a powerful way.
What I like about this project the most is that whenever you feel complacent or like you know how things will be, Lemesios flips it all on its head – always keeping things fresh, creative, and unpredictable. Picture Perfect is a fine example, you form an expectation from those opening beeps, and later again from the smooth, delicate nature of the vocal delivery, but nothing falls where you think it will. The gentle energy of this one works well at this point within the collection, Lemesios whispers these ideas to you – as if to you personally, an intimate expression of thoughts and feelings; a vulnerable moment shared between artist and listener.
You’re always aware of the compositional aspects of the artist’s approach to music when you listen to this EP. Sometimes the voice, the lyrics, seem inherently connected to the instrumentation, so the songs just have a certain feel. You notice this as The Eights begins to play, as the energy and beauty of the music surrounds you – no lyrics are needed, and still it fits within the arena of Dysphasia; it feels like it belongs. As a musician, the passion and skill combined on this is phenomenal – a live show would likely make for a superb moment of performance.
Broadening your view of him as an artist even further, Lemesios showcases a deeply personal performance of poetry and passion on the song Stepping Down – a personal favourite. There’s something very nu-rock about the sound, the melody connects from the offset, and the contrast between the delicacy of the leading voice and the weight of the instrumental sections really captivates. It’s a beautiful track, an easy favourite alternative rock go-to from the year so far. Insanely haunting riffs accompanying an increasingly intense vocal performance that just oozes authenticity and honesty – complete with the inner demons and difficulties of real life.
No Fret finishes things up, a touch of beat-boxing sets a gentle rhythm and scene that emerges as notably bright and hopeful in comparison to all that came before. You’re likely to wish the project was longer, but by the looks of things this is merely the beginning for Lemesios. A journey well worth tuning in for.
Stream or download the album here. Find & follow Constantinos Lemesios on Facebook & Instagram.
