New Release – Sailors Arms by Lightbringer
Lightbringer is the brainchild of Trevor Meyer, who is also the vocalist and guitarist and for the band The Jobs. It is largely about songs meandering between 1st and 3rd person perspective to communicate emotion, tell stories, and audibly depict human psychology. Atmospheric and ethereal soundscapes partner with emotive lyrics that emphasize finding
courage during times of loss, using the past to change the future, pain rationalization, and
channeling the non-music world through an artistic lens to see what comes out on the other side. His songs have been made purely for the aesthetic thrill of creating art.
The second Lightbringer release is titled ‘Sailors Arms‘. It will be out on June 23.
“Sailors Arms is a fictional account a shipwreck near Ryde England during the 18th century. The story is largely biographical and told from the internal perspective of the ship captain. After sailing to exhaustion, the captain must find a way to will his crew on, even though death is likely imminent. The song is mostly about internalizing and juggling juxtaposed emotions of immense fear and courage while under extreme duress. It is an idea I think many can relate to – that some of our greatest challenges in life lie in standing inside of what you fear most.”
“This song is a large departure of what I typically do with the band (The Jobs, ed.). To be honest, I am not sure where it came from. I have always been enamored by the sea and by the power and mysticism of the ocean. So, a few months back, I started tossing around the idea of writing a sea epic. I knew that I wanted to structure the song differently – time signature wise, lyrically, and bring the song to life through symphonic / orchestral elements. I knew the song would be a huge undertaking. It started as many songs do with chords. I played it a few times at the Hambones Open Mic and people seemed to gravitate to the marching / sailing feel of it. Ideas began pouring in with string arrangements, trumpets, cascading synth leads etc. Once I structured the drums and instrumentation, I started working on the words.”
“I wanted to tell a story that was historically authentic but still be relatable with today’s audience.”
“To properly authenticate the story, I did a great deal of research on 17th century sailing to use some of the terminology in the lyrics. I even recorded some of the vocals with a buzz to simulate what a sailor at sea might be doing in the event of what might be their final moments. Sailors Arms tallies over 500 words. It largely does not repeat.”
“It is not a 4/4 pop song and is not a song for everyone and I get all of that. The song is special to me – it is probably the most beautiful piece I’ve written to date. As an artist, I struggle with pushing the art too much to meet a metric or make it ‘marketable’. I think
if you do that too much, you lose track of the reason you are creating in the first place, which is largely to have authority over creative control in what it is that you wish to accomplish. I made the song as a form of release and artistic freedom. I wanted the result to be uncompromised,and more of a pure manifestation of this beautiful, serene vision that I had running through my head. I can only hope that is what I achieved in creating this piece.”
“The lyrics might be the greatest piece of music that I have written to date. I say that because I was able to tell a story that I wanted to tell, but still make the meanings relatable. Sometimes when you are in the moment, writing; you do not realize how the lyrics could potentially affect you or tell your own story just a few weeks removed from that moment. You never really know when you are going to need your own words. My life has been tumultuous this spring and I am navigating the declining health of my mother. I have come back to some of the phrases of this song like ‘No We’re Never Alone’ and listened and wondered. Was I channeling something there that I might need in just a few short weeks? Sometimes I think this sort of cosmic interplay is always happening around us, we just have to pay attention.”