(Self-released, digital) There are a lot of ways to make an album. Sometimes, amid the rush and the energy of surrendering to the moment, a record pops out fully formed. Black Sabbath famously recorded their self-titled debut in 12 hours. Miles Davis, who hated to rehearse before recording, made Kind of Blue in two nine-hour sessions. While there is a lot to be said for records made with such immediacy, slow-cooked projects can be just as fascinating. Take Burlington singer-songwriter and keyboardist Paul Lyons and his latest LP, Joy of Being Alive. An eight-song concept album that, according to Lyons, "follows the emotional contours of human life, from the depths of despair to the heights of profound joy, and everywhere in between," the record took him decades to write. "Two of the songs were written when I was just a teenager," he wrote in an email. "Some in my twenties, others in my thirties ... and finally, I'm releasing this album in my forties — better late than never!" The title track opens the record with the kind of ambition one might expect from such a long-gestating project. "Joy of Being Alive" is a 10-minute jam-funk odyssey, dabbling in white-dude reggae à la 10cc's "Dreadlock Holiday" before exploding into a giant, sing-along chorus, complete with a horn section and an army of backup vocals. Like a hyperactive 11-year-old who just downed a supersize Mountain Dew, the song simply cannot be contained. At one point, it moves into a sort of polka/nursery rhyme-on-peyote section before shifting suddenly into live electronica as Lyons declares in a distorted vocal, "Dance! I command you! I command you!" And all of that is before Lyons goes into a spoken-word segment about breaking up with his iPad. Having spent so long writing the songs, Lyons didn't cut any corners when it came time to record. After a successful crowdfunding campaign, he made Joy of Being Alive at Tank Recording Studio in Burlington with producer Rob O'Dea. He also enlisted an absolute embarrassment of local musical riches, including Goose drummer Cotter Ellis; bassist Pat Markley (Breathwork); composer and trumpet player Connor Young; guitarists Marshall Dominguez, Lara Cwass, Anthony Massaro and Erick Latrell; and Nico Suave vocalist Nicole D'Elisa. For all that Queen City star power, Lyons' all-over-the-map songwriting is the true standout. His love of Pink Floyd — and Richard Wright's iconic keyboards, in particular —…