AWmusic

Lights Out Asia are a post-rock/ambient trio from Wisconsin, who released their third album, Eyes Like Brontide last month. They fuse an ethereal-like post-rock with electronic components, being cited as “sleep-rock” and “post-shoegaze.” This is the first album I’ve heard of Lights Out Asia so I may not have the right to compare to their previous albums, but other reviewers have said that Eyes Like Brontide is a lot darker and more abstract than the band’s first two releases.

The album, in its whole, is very good. It achieves a consistent tonality, using lots of synths, guitar and piano melodies to create a very ethereal, dark sound, imaginative of a drive through the city at night. The guitar and piano melodies definitely are the focus on this album when they do appear, but the band uses lots of synthesizers, background ambience, and the drum machine to their advantage. It is in the dream-like instrumentation that hits you quite emotionally, I think. The guitar riffs are striking, though very simple-sounding, when fused with the rest of the instrumentation. I will admit that the tracks with a guitar or piano focus are the ones that hook me in the most, as songs that are primarily synths tend to be a little unwavering and unobtrusive.

There are occasional vocals throughout the album as well, presenting to the listener the breadth of Chris Schafer’s vocal abilities. If you listen to “If I Die, I Wish You a Horrible Death” and “Radars Over the Ghosts of Chernobyl,” you’ll know what I mean. His vocal ranges are impressive. The vocals definitely contribute to the instrumentation, blending neatly into it like an instrument itself, as not to steal focus altogether.

The album ends off with, “Six Points of Fire,” notable for the only appearance of live drums throughout the entire album. This song is probably my favourite song from the album itself, lasting over a good eleven minutes. It has a drive that the other songs do not, especially in at 7:45 when the song is completely turned around into a darker, harder, distorted feel. The metal influence of this track is probably what got me into it the most, not to mention the abrupt rhythm change.

Eyes Like Brontide is a very good album, deserving a listen from those who enjoy ambient rock with lots of electronic influences. The frequent use of synthesizers help reinforce and redefine what post-rock is, I think. It’s a very tranquil, dreamy album, designed to sway you emotionally in many ways possible.

MP3s:
Lights Out Asia – MIR
Lights Out Asia – Psiu Puxa
Lights Out Asia – Six Points of Fire