Ryan Lane is the most prolific songwriter that Renew the Arts has had the pleasure of working with. In the past four years of making music under the Civilized Creature name, Lane has released six full-length albums, the last two in partnership with Renew the Arts. Later this year, Civilized Creature will release his seventh record, The Way Back Home. In case you haven’t heard any of Lane’s work or just need a refresher course, here are some highlights from his discography so far.
But First, Who and What Is Civilized Creature?
Civilized Creature is the recording alias of Ryan Lane, a singer-songwriter based in Gig Harbor, Washington. Though Lane previously wrote, recorded, and performed music under his own name, his shift to the Civilized Creature moniker marks a stylistic and thematic focus in his work.
While Lane’s artistic identity is undoubtedly unified, it’s nevertheless hard to categorize. In the past, I’ve described it as a “fusion of funk and folk-tinged electronic beats,” with a hip-hop edge. Lane employs an eclectic mix of sounds and tones, but he ties them all together in a coherent and satisfying way.
While more time could be spent unpacking what Civilized Creature sounds like, what really sets him apart from other experimental electronic pop artists are his simple, heartfelt, devotional lyrics. A lot of his songs are built around repetition and subtle development of a single idea. While for some artists this could result in songs that feel lazy or shallow, Lane feels intentional and meditative. Though his songs are often fun, this thematic depth gives teeth to his work.
“The Unknown” from Steadfast (February 2017)
When Lane released his Renew the Arts debut on Valentine’s Day 2017, it was a significant departure from his output thus far. The sounds took a much more synthetic approach since Lane’s living arrangements at the time of recording didn’t allow him to track the folksy acoustic elements that often punctuate his songs. This resulted in the most cohesive record of his discography, and it still remains my personal favorite. The album’s centerpiece is “The Unknown,” which encapsulates the album’s themes of finding peace in God amidst the “turmoils during a season of transition.” Its music is rich and atmospheric, slowly building through multiple instrumental passages, with Lane’s vocals feeling both tender and playful. Clocking in at nearly seven minutes, it’s the second-longest track in his entire discography, but it’s still one of Civilized Creature’s most focused.
“Gen to Rev” from Tales & Tails (April 2016)
Audacious is the most appropriate word for this track. “Gen to Rev” is a 19-minute rap that rather comprehensively chronicles the stories of Scripture. The lyrics reach an approximate word count of 3,800, including mentions of some of the Bible’s shortest books and more obscure Old Testament tales. It would be easy for this song to skate on novelty alone, especially since not all of the rhymes totally work, and the vocal flow is sometimes choppy. However, what really makes this track compelling is the brilliant production. I’d love to hear an instrumental cut of “Gen to Rev,” as it really showcases Lane’s compositional skills. Some segments are predictably bouncy and groovy, while others are atmospheric and even bordering on ominous — ominous, at least, for Civilized Creature. The samples are quirky and widely varied. A bassoon even interjects towards the end as Lane raps about John eating the scroll in the Book of Revelation. What I love most about this track is that it really captures a lot about the Civilized Creature project in style and in spirit. It pretty well encapsulates Lane’s scope as a producer (at least up to that point in his discography), and it undeniably demonstrates his eagerness to take some very admirable risks; and, more than anything else, it entirely and unabashedly focuses on Christ and Scripture. (Words by EJ Olsen, communications assistant for Renew the Arts).
“When I Awake” from A New Heart (June 2015)
When I was first introduced to Civilized Creature’s music I didn’t have a ton of experience with genres outside of those that one might be prone to call “basic” or “entry-level.” Civilized Creature’s unique brand of folk, electronic, and hip/hop was — if you’ll excuse the pun — a strange beast for me at first. This is why the song “When I Awake” from A New Heart is, in my opinion, one of his most important and intriguing pieces. It was the moment his music “clicked” for me, and a big part of what made it work was its ability to seamlessly blend his unique approach to songwriting with an accessible structure. And this is certainly not something unique to this single track from A New Heart either; the record has plenty of songs just as poignant. It’s a formula he has managed to pull off again and again. As soon as “When I Awake” warmed me up to Civilized Creature’s world, the rest slowly — but most surely — fell into place. (Words by Lucas Munachen, writer at JesusFreakHideout.com).
“Sons of Thunder” from Permission to Feel (November 2015)
“Sons of Thunder” exhibits much of what I have learned to appreciate about producer/songwriter Ryan Lane’s peculiar approach to music. At first, one meets a droll quirkiness one might confuse for an ironic appropriation—like a hipster winkingly drinking Pabst under his handlebar mustache. Stereo-panned noise, strutting drum thumps, and funky bass quilted together with harmonica and banjo—an odd pastiche. Delicate, atmospheric vocals float over bit-crushed and blade-synth-infested waters. You might have an unsettled feeling, like when you first watched Napoleon Dynamite—How much of this does Lane want you to receive as tongue-in-cheek? Over time, I have become convinced that none of it maintains an ironic or cynical distance. Civilized Creature’s entire discography brims with sincerity. We don’t consider enough that what can seem silly can also be deathly serious.
From Ezekiel’s little model of Jerusalem and his dung-baked bread to John the Baptist’s wild man routine in the wilderness, God’s servants have never shied from a strain of the ridiculous. Consider the subject of this song, the “Sons of Thunder.” What a name! Did Jesus really mean it? These maneuvering and bickering children, cowering behind their mother, jockeying for positions they had not fully understood… Could Jesus call them “Sons of Thunder” as anything other than a winking joke? Yet when James took the first sip after Jesus of Jesus’ cup, and John penned the final mighty words of the New Testament, did anyone see them as anything less than Jesus had called them?
You see, Jesus takes the ridiculous, the petty, even the silly (that’s us!) and forges them together into something as sturdy and substantial as heaven. “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25). Ryan Lane has always thrilled me with his ability to fuse together the almost weightless, often ridiculous, tools of electronic and pop music and enlist them into the service of something profound—something that causes me to cling to my Savior a bit tighter, knowing that only He can white-robe and resurrect all that I have seen subjected to futility and shame (Words by Michael Minkoff, Co-Founder of Renew the Arts).
“Dawn, Dust & Dusk” from Beast of Formalities (July 2014)
When the debut record from Civilized Creature first released on NoiseTrade, I was hooked from the very first track. Electric indie pop can be an easy style of music to be lazy with, so it tends to attract lazy musicians. I knew immediately that this was someone dedicated to exploring their creativity in an excellent way. Voice samples weave in and out, letting you hear just enough to know something bigger is going on, but it’ll take several listens to start earning your reward. Booming, round bass tones and sampled drums are well paired, with enough energy to carry an otherwise cerebral song. This is electric pop with a heart and a soul. “Dawn, Dust, and Dusk” is the perfect introduction to Ryan Lane’s work, which is probably why this first album of his hung out on NoiseTrade’s ‘most downloaded’ section for a hot minute.
“For Senses” from Of the Uncaused Cause (July 2017)
Fast forward three years to Civilized Creature’s latest album, Of the Uncaused Cause, and everything is the same — just way better. His samples are cleaner, his lyrics clearer, his heart more tender than ever, and his concerns as pressing as that unrelenting rhythm section that refuses to be predictable.
The album opens with “For Senses” which perfectly captures his current take on electric pop: “If I can’t hear / Uncover my ears.” It’s a plea for the physical senses to be utilized for a greater purpose. With such heart, it makes sense this guy makes some of the best electronic pop — amazing to your ears, and even better for your heart. (Words by Justus Stout, President of Renew the Arts).
Civilized Creature can be found on Facebook and Instagram. Be on the lookout later this year for Civilized Creature’s seventh LP, The Way Back Home.