Depression… Despair… More and more among us get confronted with it, at work or in our private sphere. Statistics get more and more alarming year after year. Belgian artist Yves Schelpe (aka PSY’AVIAH) was sadly enough, part of the statistics last year. He literally hit the bottom. He felt lost, deprived from any motivation or meaning of life. But one unique thing saved him: music therapy! “This album is my testament to hope!”, says Yves Schelpe. “It’s a journey from utter despair towards joy and happiness. With “Lightflare”, I leave behind those bitter moments in life, the album is a beacon, shining, standing tall like a lighthouse in a rough ocean storm, waiting to be a guide for all those lost at sea… For those wandering souls, for you, and perhaps - and more than likely - even for the "future me””. This 14-track album sort of retraces the Belgian artist’s music therapy efforts and his emotional ascension from the darkest thoughts towards more joyful moments of enlightenment. While PSY’AVIAH’s sound remains quite focused on his characteristic style range hovering somewhere between synthpop / electropop / triphop melange, with sometimes heavier electronic dance tracks, we clearly perceive the switch of atmosphere and moods from the more tortuous and self-questioning songs (e.g.: “The Great Disconnect”, Lost At Sea”, “Lonely Soul”, “Plan B”, “Aftermath”, “Heavy Heart”, “Under The Rain” or yet “Ghost”) towards more dynamic, shining and positively charged compositions (e.g.: “Sound Of New”, “Game Changer”, Reboot Reset Relay”, Mr. Vanity, “In The Sound”, “For Myself”). Compiled across one full length album, these beautiful, sincere and touchy songs make a whole and reveal PSY’AVIAH at his best, expanding his musical spectrum from jazzy trip-hop to electro rock and break beats while staying faithful to his modern electro / EBM roots. Yves Schelpe is also here perfectly surrounded by carefully selected male and female vocalists who each brilliantly render the poignant intimacy of these lyrics everyone can easily relate to. We first of all have PSY’AVIAH’s award winning live vocalist Marieke Lightband who sets the emotional bar very high with “The Great Disconnect”, just like Ellia Bisker and Kyoko Bartsoen (ex-HOOVERPHONIC, LUNASCAPE) respectively do it on “Aftermath” and “Plan B”. Other highlights are also reached through the collaboration with Michael Evans (MiXE1) who brings PSY’AVIAH closer to a band like MESH as well as the energetic featuring together with KONER. Some other infamous ”usual” partners of crimes are also part of the game again including the unmatchable voice of Mari Kattman, Fallon Nieves, David Chamberlin (ENTRZELLE), as well as the incisive guitar parts signed by J?rgen Brischar of JUNKSISTA and by live member Ben van de Cruys, the meticulous mixing work of Mitia Wexler, the mastering touch of Geert de Wilde (IC 434) and the unique design of Japanese artist Tomoki Haysaka. “Lightflare” starts as a cry for help to progressively turn into a symbol of hope. Rich in sparkling emotions and melodic freshness, this inspiring and shining album is bound to become a classic in its genre and is a golden milestone in PSY’AVIAH’s impressive discography.
