Album Review: Lindsey Stirling – “Artemis”

In an age when only the singer is recognized or remembered, Lindsey Stirling pioneered her own genre of electro-rock violin to become a globally recognized frontwoman. With the exception of a few guest vocalists, her latest album Artemis is lead by the violin family run through an electronic amplifier. It works well as mood music, but that would be missing out on her live shows and music videos that combine gorgeous visual sets and choreographed dance, all without setting down her violin. Her music has one foot in classical origins with the other firmly planted in the electric future, grabbing onto her audiences’ heartstrings while showing them something completely unique.

Lindsey Sterling was one of the first artists in the early days of YouTube who struck viral and then consistently doubled down on her success. Her YouTube channel is fast approaching three billion views and it is only recently that she has had a sizeable production budget to add more artists and filmic stories. Since most of her songs are without lyrics, they can be listened over and over again by a worldwide audience without language standing as an obstacle.

Her energy as a dancer and skill as a violinist has attracted numerous collaborators, with Elle King and Amy Lee of Evanescence lending their voices to Stirling’s latest album. Amy Lee’s feature, “Love Goes On and On,” has the singer holding long somber notes in tune with Sterling’s violin, carrying the song on a hauntingly beautiful journey. Elle King’s feature, “The Upside” carries more of a pop vibe with fast-paced Celtic strings melding with King’s southern harmony. Each song is still dominated by strings with the supporting voices adding the final element that rounds out each song.

The Greek god Artemis is often known as a goddess of contradictions as she is both a hunter and protector of wildlife as well as the goddess of virginity and childbirth. Most music and art that truly resonates must balance a similar binding nature of opposites. Throughout the album, Lindsey builds up a frantic pace mirroring the winding nature of anxiety before bursting into a long arc of crisp beautiful notes like a flash of daylight. While so many instrumentalists have focused on how they can support a young and talented voice, Stirling leads the album by connecting a chorus of beautiful art held together by a bow in one hand and strings in the other.

Artemis begins with classical vibes weaving woodland elements that turn into a cyber rock light show by the album’s end. Her latest album is another success as with each new release, the international superstar adds more layers to her performance with each artful addition highlighting the talents of the rest.

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