Lights – The Listening
The Listening is the debut album for one of Canada’s budding young artists, Lights. Valerie Poxleitner as she is formally named is no new face to the media. Her songs have caught the attention of the masses, and her singles are constant chart toppers. I became familiar with Lights after hearing her self-titled EP, and was instantly hooked. Her knack for catchy music and originally themed tracks were something to be admired. I was especially impressed with her ability to sequence her own melodies, which I find to be the secret behind her success.
The Listening is comprised of twelve tracks, and a couple of bonuses, note that four of the tracks have already been released through her EP. Probably the biggest gripe I had with the album, was the recycling of music, otherwise I thought it was great and very fluid. The best aspect of Lights is her eccentric style, which happens to be present in every song and fittingly so. Her dream-like gimmick, gives off a sense of euphoria and care-freeness that doesn’t come across as pretentious. Instead her relaxed attitude speaks for itself, in an album that definitely has both talent and natural instinct.
Saviour is the first track, and one of her current singles from The Listening. It has her distinguished melody, which is often played simply but sounds emotional and extravagant. It’s the perfect compliment to her soft and subtle vocals, which while may not be extremely talented, work well within the confines of her range. Her sweet voice is the second most important element, next to her hypnotic melodies, that truly work to grab the attention of listeners. However, as with most music, their individual efforts are not enough, and the combination of dreamy vocals and entrancing melodies further solidifies her originality and artistic prowess. Besides her space-like style, her originality is also portrayed through her themes and lyrics. Saviour is a romantic track with clever metaphors and not the typical kind of happy-go-lucky song. Instead listeners are treated to the hopeful, passionate kind of feelings that are hardly seen when it comes to love songs.
I already covered tracks like Drive My Soul, Ice, and February Air in my review of Lights’ EP, which all happen to share the same elated approach. The new tracks on this album also express the same style, but some are more upbeat while others are more hopeful and sombre. Two of my favourite tracks, happen to be one after the other; Face Up and Lions! Face Up is a very mellow song that has a positive message and a hopeful sound. The lyrics combined with the overall attitude of the song makes this track very noteworthy and worthwhile. Similarly Lions! has a great message, and utilises clever lyrics. Lions! is a surreal track with an overall beautiful touch, and if it doesn’t hit home, then I’m not sure what will. I think the innocence and great attitude of Lights is what got to me the most, and that is a combination of her sound, words and ideology.
The Listening is a great album, with great themes, and a consistent style. With the album alone I can tell exactly what Lights is all about and this allows me to further appreciate her music. While she may not be the most talented artist out there, she is certainly one of the most genuine, and that is a likeable quality. Pleasant music from an even nicer person, if there’s one thing Lights preserves, it’s innocence and a kind soul.
Check out her Myspace for more info.
Tags: album
