Dark Sky Reservation [LP], Lyr, Vinyl

Dark Sky Reservation, L.Y.R.'s third commercial release, begins with the idea that the furthest points of light - stars - can only be seen in the dark. It's a kind of contradiction that finds musical expression in these new tracks, the band always navigating towards sightings of hopefulness and constancy in an increasingly bewildering and storm-battered world. Dark sky reservations are those regions of the landscape where light pollution is discouraged and even outlawed, to allow scientists and casual stargazers to peer into the cosmos and see the glory of the constellations, patterns of light that have entranced and mystified us for hundreds of thousands of years. Ten years since their formation L.Y.R. are creating some of their finest and most accomplished work. Dark Sky Reservation follows a decade of inventiveness and world building that has included two full length studio albums, a concept record about a street in Barnsley, an orchestral ode to the Shipping Forecast for the BBC Proms, commissions for the National Trust, Durham Brass Festival and more.