I’ve been hearing some lofty and ambitious projects of late, but perhaps the loftiest and most ambitious is Legacy by Iameve.
By Graeme Smith
The album is an attempt to tackle to concept of leave behinds. It features eight tracks that ruminate on the questions of “what do we inherit, what do we rewrite, and what endures?” The theme encompasses emotional inheritance, cultural legacy, and personal baggage, giving us both a micro and macro view.
Iameve, aka composer and producer Tiff Randol, has a knack for the dreamy, the atmospheric, and the emotional, all framed by lush electronica. While she has a distinct sound of her own, I did detect some parallels. Bjork came to mind during BeSteady. Muse in the cinematic, exotic Desire. Kate Bush is the origin point of many a modern-day artist and her shadow looms heavy in Legacy too.
The standout of this album is its lyrics. Legacy was written and produced by Randol, and her philosophical diatribes stick with you. Light It On Fire needs a special mention in this regard, railing against humanity’s destructive tendencies. “…Plant your flag,” Randol mocks in the first verse. “In the end she’ll have you.” It serves as the warning that planet earth will always belong to planet earth, and the ones we are truly harming are ourselves. It truly galvanises the legacy theme by taking it to its broadest point.
The maximalist Stardust Apocalypse proves a highlight as the album’s penultimate chapter. It stays just the right side of overwhelming and proves fully immersive, especially when heard through headphones. Elsewhere there are quieter moments. Cold Bones simmers along slowly. BeSteady is rich with strings and choral layers. Its elegant ambience is another highlight.
Emotion weighs heavy in the album’s more questioning moments, but Randol is always sure to temper that weightiness through elevated instrumentals. Layers are deployed with skill. The album lives, breathes, adapts, and transforms throughout, becoming an entity of its own while it reflects our own lives back to us. It feels apt in a century where there is more life than there has ever been before, biologically, and digitally.
The richness, depth, and ambition of Legacy means it’s a must listen, and serves as a barnstorming introduction to Iameve for us. If you want to keep up to date with all Tiff Randol is doing with the project, you can by following her on Instagram and YouTube.
Legacy is out now, and you can listen to it below.
