React: Lindsey Stirling - Duality
Duality has a sense of Purpose.
I’ve been a long time Lindsey Stirling fan but have admittedly fallen off the train a bit when she released a few holiday albums over the past few years. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great. But those albums don’t get a whole lot of plays outside of the holiday season from me.
I played Brave Enough on repeat a lot when it came out and genuinely loved Artemis as well. That’s when I felt like Lindsey was really in her element. In my subjective opinion, I feel like Warmer In The Winter was a better holiday album than Snow Waltz.
So now that you know my recent history with Lindsey, let’s dive into Duality.
Evil Twin
Despite the name, this song starts out rather fun. Something that I’ve been asking for in Lindsey’s music—and it’s finally here—is incorporating an electric guitar. Adding in such an instrument gives her music a sense of "epic-ness" especially when you factor in how hard some of her songs go with the drums she uses. Well done.
Okay. This chorus gives me hope. I’ve always been a fan of her more EDM-centric tracks. If this chorus is any indication, I’m going to be in for a very great album. The low-level synth pad and kick drums are absolutely killer here. To the point where I almost missed the lack of a bass drum.
Of course, the transition between the chorus and the second verse is very good as well. It releases all the heaviness from the EDM-style chorus and goes back to a more classical sound, stripping everything away but the bare minimum.
An interesting choice for the second verse is the sheer sense of space and presence. There’s a massive reverb on the kick drum. And while the violin is front and center, it has a slight reverb there as well. I’m also a fan of the distant vocals that are sung throughout the track as well.
I love the outro. The subtle de-layering of the various instruments until you have just the vocal and main violin.
Eye of the Untold Her
I know it’s very early in the album but I’m sensing a dark/spooky but also epic/EDM vibe to the album. I’m only seven seconds into the second song but the first track definitely gave me that vibe as well with the slow piano right at the beginning of the track.
That’s further proven by the pre-chorus. The layered violins here are fantastic. In fact, those layered violins mimic layered vocals to me since most of Lindsey’s tracks don’t feature actual singing. It fills in that gap and gives the track a sense of dynamics.
I love the subtle hi-hats and the choice of snare/clap here. Very unstated. The synths seem to be a single stem that got duplicated and panned to each channel. It has quite a bit of reverb, making it sound a bit louder than it actually is.
The bridge on this track is absolutely killer. It reminds me of one of her other tracks (I can’t recall the title at the time of publishing) that has an equally epic bridge, with the plucked violin.
The final chorus(es) of the track could easily be in a video game soundtrack (in the best way possible). Catchy, epic, and a fun listen.
Surrender
God, I love how Lindsey is able to convey emotion through her violin, similar to how a vocalist could. The beginning of this track is setting me up for a sob storm.
I was wrong. This track is a vibe. It’s a certified head bopper. The muted drums and the slightly "happier" violin are great in the first verse. I love that the drums get slightly less muted as we head into the pre-chorus. Of course, all of that goes away in the main chorus where she uncharacteristically chose to use what sounds like a standard drum kit here. (As opposed to an electronic one).
A super generic take, but again, I love how much control Lindsey has with her violin here and how much it really does take the place of a traditional vocal. So far, this is my favorite track on the album.
As was the case with her last two tracks, the producer and mixer for this track need to be acknowledged. The sense of space and atmosphere cannot be understated. That’s despite the fact that I’m listening to the album in stereo.
In the bridge, we get a slight glimpse of Lindsey’s vocals. I wish she’d use her vocals more, but I understand why she doesn’t.
Serenity Found
Another thing I’m noticing thus far and has sort of been a trend with a few other artists releasing in 2024 is the average length of each track. Looking back to the last decade or so of music, I’ve definitely noticed tracks getting substantially shorter (in the 2-3 minute range), while thus far Lindsey’s tracks seem to be averaging 3-4 minutes.
Are we getting our first ballad on the album? Or is this a "fool me twice" situation? I’m about 40 seconds in and I’m sensing a more slower paced track. But I’ve certainly been wrong before.
The soft piano with relatively small reverb is definitely giving sadder vibes. It’s also giving soft, pillowy vibes if you’re into visualizations. As if you were sleeping on clouds. The soft piano combined with the soft hi-hats/cymbals and the mid-bass heavy bass line combine to create a truly beautiful sound.
Untamed
It sounds fucking weird but why does the intro to this track sound like it can’t tell if it wants to be happy or sad. It’s giving both.
Okay, this track is definitely giving Irish tap dancing vibes. I can almost see the visualization for it once you get about 40 seconds into the song.
Again with the epic soundtrack vibes with the use of an electric guitar. This track is no exception. It’s not overdone, but I’m loving every single second of it.
One could argue no one does bridges better than Taylor Swift and that would be correct. But Lindsey Stirling’s bridges on this album just hit different. There’s so much drive and it conveys a lot of emotion and information without saying a single word. It’s hard to explain until you really give these tracks a listen.
So far, I think this is my least favorite track on the album. Not that that’s a bad thing. I love the album so far, but this track almost seems uninspired and isn’t terribly interesting in my opinion.
Purpose
I love the intro to this track. It’s giving the slightest spy/sneaky vibe. I’ll keep saying it, but the ability to control emotion with very few vocals or lyrics is a feet on its own.
The vocal track on this song is intentionally buried and distorted just a tad. But looking up the lyrics, she says Give yourself a reason. Take your pain away. Sail, sail away. You see far. I see ya. That’s it. Only five lines of lyrics that repeat throughout the track.
Honestly, the vocal is what stands out on this track. They have a ghostly effect added to them and low key carries the song. As other fans have mentioned in the past, we love to hear Lindsey singing on her tracks. It’s far and few in between but it’s always a treat.
The Scarlet Queen
Kicking things off with the distorted violin. It sounds like the violin might have a high-pass filter added as well. It also has very little reverb added, sounding very intimate but not super close to the listener.
This track is a vibe. An absolute head bopper. What stands out to me is the lack of treble/high-end almost entirely. It’s definitely a choice, but it spices things up and that’s never a bad thing.
Likewise, due to the filter being used, I love that instead of using a very distorted hi-hat, she decided to change things up and use a different percussive instrument that’s lower in the frequency range.
Again with the stripped back ending. Can’t get enough of it honestly.
Inner Gold
Playing the album on Roon so far, this is the first track with time-synced lyrics. There was one other track with lyrics, but not time-synced. This makes me excited. As rare as it is to get Lindsey to sing on her own tracks, it’s less rare to get a feature with another artist singing.
No singing just yet but what an absolute vibe. Certified head bopper. Loving the guitar pattern and plucked violin here. Admittedly I’ve never heard of Royal & The Serpent but I’m in love with the whisper talk singing here. It fits in perfectly with the theme of the album.
I’m also loving the use of congos here. Very low in the mix, and I’d wager most people would miss it on their first listen. But it’s a very nice touch and a welcome ear candy. The shaker coming out of the left channel in the chorus is great as well, it compliments the hi-hat coming out of the right channel.
Royal & The Serpent’s harmonies in the second chorus heading into the bridge are to die for. As an album listener, it’s refreshing as there’s not a whole lot of singing on the other tracks thus far.
Inner Gold is easily in my top five for this album. What a banger.
Survive
It looks like this track has lyrics that Roon wasn’t able to fetch. Time to look them up! Seems like we’re getting back to back tracks with a full vocal session. What a treat!
I don’t think I’ve heard of Walk off the Earth before. But in my experience, Lindsey’s choice of features has never let me down.
Starting off strong, this track is giving me a slightly funky vibe mixed in with a bit of sneaky once again. I love that the track kicks things off with the vocals almost immediately.
Heading into the chorus, this is probably the most "pop" song so far. The driving bass reminds me a lot of Billie Eilish’s bad guy. You also have a very pop-centric chorus. It’s super catchy.
Again with the absolutely killer bridge. It’s a great mix between a so-called violin solo and a vocal-centric bridge.
Not to sound like a broken record, but this track is also a vibe. A head bopper. If you’re a primarily pop listener, this track is right up your alley.
Kintsugi
Is this another hidden lyric/vocal track? It seems so. The distorted, lush vocals are so good. I love the shaker here as well, nice little ear candy.
This song is interesting to me because it almost sounds like an outlier, compared to what I’ve heard thus far. There’s no sneaky theme and it doesn’t sound overly epic either.
It caught me so off guard that I don’t know how to feel about it yet. I don’t hate it, but I don’t know if I love it either. But I suppose that fits the title of the track quite beautifully.
Firefly Alley
I love the plucked violin here but I find the kick drum interesting, if not a little odd right off the start. The kick drum transition into the first verse was not what I expected at all. I don’t love it. I do love the alternating snare/clap in the first verse, however.
Again with the electric guitar. But this time I don’t know if I love it. I think I’m maybe at the point where it’s almost overdone. I feel like this is the tipping point for me. In a vacuum? Sure. I think it’s fine if you have a full library shuffle. But listening to the album top to bottom? It’s getting to be a bit much.
Despite this, I do like the track. I like the EDM-inspired snare drum and the back and forth vibe from the overall song. It won’t make my top five for the album, I think, but I’ll be delighted to hear it when it comes up in a playlist or a shuffle.
Les Fées
Finally. A proper hi-hat that doesn’t sound like it’s drowned out by the rest of the mix and/or is being filtered out by a high-pass filter. Likewise, the violin sounds like it has a bit more room to breathe on this track as well. I love the funky bass.
Y’all know I’m a sucker for vocals blending in with the percussion and this is no exception. I’m in love with that blend. Chef’s kiss.
Again with the funkiness of this track, and it’s not just the bass. I’m not sure what it is, but I love the sound that comes out of the right channel that starts right around the 1:45 mark. It sounds like what you’d think random computer noises would sound like and only sticks around for about 20 seconds. Right after, it gets replaced with a centered congo for the next 20 seconds or so.
This song just makes me happy. Especially since it’s the last track on the album? It leaves me feeling happy and energized.
Conclusion
It’s a solid album. My reactions weren’t overly technical. But I think that’s just because I was enjoying the album.
As a longtime Lindsey Stirling fan, this album is just solid. I still believe Brave Enough is her best album and Duality didn’t change that opinion. If you’re new to Lindsey, I would still recommend listening to that album first.
Duality tries and recaptures Lindsey’s absolutely legendary classical, EDM-crossover sound. While I didn’t fall in love with every single track (it’s rare that that’s the case), I do think this album hits the mark.
And if it really is your first time listening to anything Lindsey Stirling, welcome. We’re glad to have you. She has quite the back catalog, but it’s well worth your time listening.
NOTE: This album reaction was completed after listening to Lindsey Stirling’s Duality via Tidal with an active Tidal subscription (24-bit, 96 kHz) on Roon.