Lights - "Siberia" Review

This album review is a bit late so I’ll keep it short since anyone who is interested in this review will probably have been able to check out the album by now. Valerie Anne Poxleitner, better known as Lights, released her second studio full length, Siberia, on October 4th, 2011. Lights is a Canadian synthpop artist, and although Siberia is still very much a synthpop record, I think her sound is a lot different on this record than her previous album, The Listening. It seems like she stripped away much of the “cotton-candy” sound out of her songs and replaced it with a lot more maturity. Not every song off of Siberia fits this description, but the album as a whole does. For an artist that is primary known for her fun and upbeat songs, I dare say this album is dark at times.

The dubstep movement is no secret at this point. A lot of the people within “the scene” seem to be against this movement toward electronic instrumentals arguing that it’s not “organic” enough. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the movement, but I can’t deny that having another avenue for creating music and expressing oneself is a good thing. I’m sure anytime there are any sort of advancements in any field, there is always some form of resistance. Humans just seem not to do well with change. Siberia seems to be Lights’ contribution to the dubstep movement. Someone who listens to Skillrex might see this statement as absurd as Siberia probably isn’t considered pure dubstep to most. However, I would argue that Lights takes a different spin on dubstep by using the elements of dubstep and applying it to more traditional music format. She finds a way to create a fusion of the two worlds where she can still use lyrics to convey and enhance the story of the song. Whereas Skrillex is primarily heavy synth and beats without any lyrics. I think this ability to find a balance between the two worlds shows how creative this young lady is. I’m not a huge Lights fan, but I can recommend at least checking this record out.

Lydia Album and Concert Review

I’ve been putting off my review of the new Lydia album, Paint It Gold. Then a few nights ago, I went down to Minneapolis to watch Lydia play at the 7th Street Entry. Now that I have even more material and finally have some time, I will condense my review of the show and the new record together.

I’ll begin by sharing my thoughts on the new album. Paint It Gold was released on October 4thof 2011. I wanted to give the album a handful of spins before I wrote a review for it. When I felt I was ready to give the record an honest review, I was hit with a storm of busy. I mentioned in previous posts that I dislike when fans harp that bands need to not evolve and keep one sound throughout their entire career. I’m not one of those fans, but I will admit when I think a particular album off a discography stands out as the masterpiece. For instance, when I discuss Underoath with people, I have no doubt that Define The Great Line is the album that defines Underoath at their peak. Another example is Senses Fails’ Still Searching. When it comes to Lydia’s discography, I think many would argue that Illuninate is that album. Does Paint It Goldlive up to Illumanite? Although I wish I could report that it is just as good, I would be lying if I did. This is their first album since the hiatus, and they could be shaking off the rust. Although I don’t see that as a valid excuse since Lydia front man, Leighton Antelman, seemed to have kept busy during the hiatus. Antelman has been the primary song writer for most of Lydia’s history. It’s hard to compare how much influence Antelman had on how the songs shaped.Illuminate had a much different lineup from Paint It Gold and Assailants which is the album between Illuminate and Paint It Gold and before their hiatus. One has to ask if Mindy White really did have that big of an influence on how the songs sound. Mindy White is a fan favorite and a former member of Lydia. She was only with Lydia during Illuminate before she left the band to go on to form States. Was it Mindy that gave Illuminate its polish and will we ever hear anything as good as Illuminate without her? Or, could it be that the other members that quit after Illuminate also played a large role? Mindy seems to be at the forefront of this question since she was the fan favorite.

Now I don’t want my comparison of the two albums to make it sound like Paint It Gold is a poor album. It’s still a good album and it still very much feels like Lydia. I’ve been a fan of music and a fan of the scene for a very long time, but I’ve never really been a big lyrics guy. I’ve never looked too deeply into the lyrics because I think it’s near impossible to know what the writer is trying to get across without knowing them personally. I usually take the lyrics for what they are and try to personalize it. I think what made me a fan of Lydia is that the band forced me to listen to the lyrics a bit more. I say “the band,” and not just the writer of the lyrics because Lydia is excellent at writing lyrics against the context of their instrumentals to help create an image. When I listen to Lydia, I feel like I don’t have to interpret or personalize the lyrics. The lyrics and instrumentals, in a perfect marriage, are painted on a screen for me to understand. Quite often when I listen to Lydia I just close my eyes and just let the song sink in. Antelman’s unique voice with his lyrics and the perfectly complementing instrumentals is a force to give you chills every time you listen to Lydia.

Now because I don’t look too deeply into the band and the lyrics, I have a question for fans that might look into the personal lives of the band with more depth. Who is Hailey? Antelman seems to continuously refer to Hailey. And I have to admit, the songs he refers to Hailey are some of my favorite.

The Lydia concert was my second time seeing Lydia live. I never got the chance to see Lydia with their complete Illuminate group which is a shame. However, Lydia was typical Lydia keeping it low key as exemplified by Antelman and other members coming out without any shoes and socks. There wasn’t much special production, a customized backdrop, or special entrance. After sound check was completed, they simply walked out onto the tiny stage and begin to play their catalogue of atmospheric tunes. Antelman wasn’t pitch perfect, but he can get away with it since he isn’t known to be a strong vocalist. His unique voice and song writing skills are what people admire. I didn’t mention Lydia’s first album This December; It's One More And I'm Free. I must admit I’m really not a fan of that album. That is the first album of Lydia’s discography I listened to and I thought I would never listen to Lydia again. Luckily, some of my friends learned about Lydia when Illuminate came out and multiple occasions suggested I listen to Illuminate. After delaying listening to Illuminate for quite some time, I finally caved and gave it a chance and the rest is history. After I became a full time Lydia fan, I went back and tried to give This December; It's One More And I'm Free a second chance. Thinking maybe I had missed something the first time I listened to it. Even after giving the record a second chance, I have to say that I cannot get into it. If my memory serves me right, I read Antelman concede that This December; It's One More And I'm Free is not something he is very proud of. And so although the concert overall was good, Lydia really lost me towards the end when they started playing more songs off of This December; It's One More And I'm Free. The song they played for the encore even came off that record, which was disappointing to me. Again, the concert overall was good, very calm and just about the music, but I don’t see myself going to another Lydia show for a while. I’ve seen Lydia twice now, and I’ve seen what I have to see and heard what I wanted to hear, but there isn’t really much there pulling me back. I could potentially see them in two album cycles or if they make something that matches Illuminate.

Someone should count how many times I said Illuminate.

Evolution of Thrice

Just a short entry this time that doesn't really have a lot of meat. Really just an observation I had today.

I've been listening to a lot more Thrice lately and mostly on shuffle. It hit me today while listening to some of their really old material, that Thrice has evolved so much. I think they really capture how a band is suppose to evolve. It annoys me a bit when I'm at shows and fans only want bands to play their old material. It bothers me that fans expect artists to remain complacent and never change.

Thrice formed in 1998 and started as what I would describe as a punk-alternative rock act. In 2003 they released "The Artist and the Ambulance" where I think their sound began to change. This album probably also marked the peak of their popularity. I think the album did so well because they still had their core punk base, as well as a growing group of alternative-rock listeners. Their sound took another evolution when "Vheissu" was released. They really matured with this record, and I think a lot of their older fans felt abandoned, although I thought it was a very strong record.

I was lucky to follow them throughout their evolution. If you're interested in this type of music, I highly suggest going through each of their albums in order.

Identity Crisis(2000/2001)
The Illusion of Safety(2002)
The Artist in the Ambulance(2003)
Vheissu(2005)
The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II(2007)
The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV(2008)
Beggars(2009)
Major/Minor(2011)