On
Divina Lluz (Divine Light), Mus searches for something more organic in origin, leaving behind the soothing combination of trip-hop and ambient pop that created a dreamy atmosphere on its debut,
Fai. The Spanish duo (Fran Gayo and Monica Vacas) instead drape their somber pieces in piano, guitar, and bass. With Vacas' soft vocals (sung in Asturian, a language spoken in northwest Spain) remaining as the one constant for Mus, the shift in instrumentation doesn't effect the mood too much. Vacas gives Divina Lluz a sensual appeal, like she's singing in a darkly lit lounge in a
David Lynch film. The lyrics, however, reveal that the songs are actually quite dreary. "I began to walk with a shard of glass wedged in my soul," she sings in "Escuela Cruda" ("Crude School") and "always alone, I always find myself bored/crying my entire life under a green olive tree" in "Sola" ("Alone"). It's depressing, yes, but fortunately few listeners will understand the language and just be comforted by her voice. ~ Kenyon Hopkin