Lyndon Rivers: “Nothing I Can Do” Takes Us Down Memory Lane

For fans of Lyndon Rivers who love dance music, house, and techno, this is not an EDM single. It’s not the house music that we know Lyndon Rivers to have made, with filtered sampled loops, drum machine-programmed beats, and electronic harsh noise. It’s not any of that that. You can’t fist-pump to this music; you can’t go nuts to it. Well you can go nuts, but in a different way you’re normally used to in the club. So when you listen to “Nothing I Can Do”, the new single by Lyndon Rivers for the first time, go into it with a different state of mind than “House Music.” I invite you instead to hop into your DeLorean, and take a plunge back to the year of late 70s, maybe early 80s, when dance music was quite different…and a total gas!

“Nothing I Can Do” is a tribute to those who grew up listening to stuff like”Carwash” by the Soul group Rose Royce or Gloria Gaynor’s “Never Can Say Goodbye”. To those who danced to Nile Rodgers’ impeccable guitar licks on classic Chic songs like “Good Times” and “I Want Your Love”.

There are strong traces of Soul, Funk and Disco all over this recording. It sounds like Lyndon Rivers is really working on something special because this song does not sound like anything he has done before. It is a blend of disco and funk that just creates a celebration in your head when you listen to it.

Whether you love or hate the musical direction Lyndon Rivers went on this track, it just sounds good. He did an expert job in the studio, and the basslines, brass and strings are outstanding, together with the vocals, which is a cut above the last few guest singers Rivers had featured on his songs.

What appeals most to me is the blend of disco-funk and electronica that results in a great track to dance, work, drive or chill to. The blend of what sounds like real instruments, beats, sounds, and effects result in a warm, organic and familiar sound with all the catchiness of dance and electronic hooks. The homage to dance and pop synth from the 70’s and 80’s could have come off cheesy to some, but Lyndon Rivers gives it the right touch and makes it sound current.

Productions values truly shine throughout. This is a wonderful example of first rate mixing and mastering. Most will immediately notice it is ‘quieter’ and ‘warmer’ than many other electronic dance tracks. What seems like a subtle sacrifice in overall volume, however, yields massive rewards in the dynamics, low-end, punch, and feel of the track.

It is far superior to most modern recordings that so often trade their soul for pure loudness. “Nothing I Can Do” sounds a lot like the best of the best dance music from back in the club days when the beat and melody were so perfect you could dance all night and not even feel it (until the next morning! Hee hee!)

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