Lights

When I opened the CD case for Lights’ disc, my eye was caught by a name – Jian Ghomeshi, the endlessly cool CBC host. Perhaps my expectations were unfairly raised, because when the disc started to play, I was initially disappointed. Lights is a frothy mixture of bubblegum pop reminiscent of the type popular in the mid 90s.

The lyrics, music, and vocals are all fluffy; on “Drive my Soul,” the vocalist coos “you make the darkness disappear.” By the third song, the album begins to grow on you. The label, Underground Operations, included their slogan on the CD: “remember the last time music made you smile?” Reading this in context with the cotton-candy texture of Lights’ music, the music itself makes more sense.

The self-titled record is light, but harmlessly so. Like the crush you had in high school, it is sweet, cute… and fleeting. By the end of the 19.05 minutes on the disc, the affection I had found for the music halfway through was growing thin. But, at only 19.05 minutes, the album is a bubblegum-pink shot of optimism that lasts just the right amount of time.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Ice
02. Drive My Soul
03. February Air
04. White
05. I Owe You One
06. The Last Thing on Your Mind

Run Time: 19:05