Ray Lamontagne Finds the Musical Experience He Always Wanted to Explore on “Ouroboros”

Ouroboros

Ray Lamontagne continues to explore genres and how they can relate to his singer songwriter roots on “Ouroboros”. The album is divided into two parts. Although, the album connects as a whole, with each song flowing into the next. The artwork for the album is very fitting concept piece. With part one having a hallow feel, being the blood red moon and part two being the lighter sun coming to peek from behind. Lamontagne raspy whisper voice carries melodically over all the songs pulling the album together as a whole.

Part one is full of psychedelic rock guitar and dreamy lyrics. The third song in part one, “The Changing Man”, will really carry the weight of it’s name if your fan of his first three albums. The guitars are heavy and the whole tone of the song is very dark. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise as Ray Lamontagne had been experimenting with these tones and riffs on his later album. This album really feels like a musical point that Ray Lamontagne has been trying to experiment with and create over the past couple of years, and it’s come together beautifully.

Part two is arguably a bit lighter than part one. With softer notes and nods to his earlier and warmer singer-songwriter songs. The album ends with “Wouldn’t It Make a Lovely Photograph”, which truly feels very distant from the rest of the album in terms of sound. The lyrics are melodic and thought provoking, and make references back to earlier lyrical moments on the album.

This is truly an album that you have to listen to from first song to last song. Ray Lamontagne takes us on a journey of genre, lyrics, and guitar. It would be a crime to put this album on shuffle, because it would loss all of its magical and cosmic effect that this album carries.