INVINCIBLE SUMMER, K. D. LANG

 INVINCIBLE SUMMER, K. D. LANG

(WARNER BROS.):

“In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer” is the Albert Camus quote that serves as ground zero for k. d. lang’s first release of original material in five years.

Though such an upbeat sentiment is a bit unexpected from Camus, a well-conceived concept album is par for the course from the androgynous Canadian hanteuse/songwriter who brought us Drag.

Just as Drag was more about need and addiction that smoking, Invincible Summer is really about love and the emotional heat and light that go with it.

And while we could do the tiresome English Lit major thing and analyze metaphor and imagery in these 11 songs, this disc is best enjoyed in a chaise longue with a cool drink in hand and one’s mind lost in dreamy reverie.

From start to finish, Invincible Summer has an irresistible listenability that seamlessly melds sunny melodies, glistening hooks, Latin rhythms, funky beats, horns, strings and electronic blips and bleeps into a futuristic retro a go-go musical amalgam.

Holding it all together are lang’s gorgeous, soaring vocals that alternately swell like an ocean wave and caress like a summer breeze.

Though there’s not a clinker in the bunch, standout tracks include the cinematic opener The Consequences Of Falling, the playful, campy Summerfling, the funky, bouncy It’s Happening With You and the simple, pretty Love’s Great Ocean.

--Heidi Johnson-Wright