Lights - Siberia
Rating
RIYL
I don’t actually have a good RIYL for this except dubstep w/female vocalsRelease Date
10/04/2011
Label
Self ReleasedTracklist
1. Siberia2. Where the Fence is Low
3. Toes
4. Banner
5. Everybody Breaks a Glass
6. Heavy Rope
7. Timing is Everything
8. Peace Sign
9. Cactus in the Valley
10. Suspension
11. Flux and Flow
12. Fourth Dimension
13. And Counting
14. Day One
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My first exposure to Lights was a mention in Bill Lohr’s Bring Me the Horizon review from last year and her guest spot in “Crucify Me.” My second exposure to Lights was an episode of EpicMealTime. My third exposure to lights was Siberia, which I checked out solely because I felt guilty that her name has been on my tongue more than her music had been in my ears. It was a serendipitous decision, because while Siberia fell flat for me on my first listen, it’s been clawing at my brain stem with the ferocity of a cult classic ever since. But before I sing the praises of her sophomore release, allow me to set the stage with a quick discussion of her earlier material.
Namely, how on earth did she gain any traction with her old material?! After I heard Siberia, I worked backwards through her discography and discovered that ye olde Lights was saccharine-sweet electro pop with original software Macbook beats worse than those on Claudio’s Prize Fighter Inferno album—in other words, it was a manlier version of Owl City. To say that Siberia is a drastic improvement and a real maturation is to undersell Lights’ evolution. And I’m glad. Collaborating with Holy Fuck, Lights has rebuilt her sound, transforming it from glorified Disney-pop into a diverse and ultimately interesting melting pot of drum and bass, synthpop, and indie with a definite atmosphere and depth that even snobs with taste can enjoy without reservations.
Album opener and title-track “Siberia” showcases Lights’ new vocal delivery—more dulcet and restrained— and just drips with modulated bass and her characteristic spacey synth effects. It isn’t quite until the next song “Where the Fence is Low” when Lights’ evolution kicks in more ostensibly, with a dubsteppy punch beefing up the otherwise low-key chorus. However, lead single “Toes” is in a league of its own, a thumping, electronic, heart-endingly catchy piece of aural heaven. And much of Siberia follows suit. “Everybody Breaks a Glass” is another exciting track, sporting a delicious, staticy, heavily modulated mess of a beat and a guest appearance from fellow Canadian Shad. Now, there are a few throwaway tracks— “Heavy Rope” and “Peace Sign” feel redundant and underdeveloped, but for every misstep there’s a track like “Flux and Flow” with its absolutely huge, distorted chorus that more than makes up for them.
It’s pretty clear that on Siberia Lights is riding the coattails of the influx of dubstep, which, depending on just how chic the genre stays, may kill the album’s staying power. But even if dubstep collapses under the colossal weight of the banginest, heaviest drop in the next few minutes, there’s a core of quality songwriting at the heart of Siberia. All that aside, at this very moment, Lights has it right. Siberia is current, and it’s awesome. Get in while the gettin’s good.
--Zach Roth
Comments
Oklahoma City, OK
This album is def a huge guilty pleasure for me.
Plus I want to take my parts and do stuff to her parts.
Q: What is a gentleman?
A: A man who can play the accordion, but doesn't.
-Tom Waits in an interview with Tom Waits
Baton Rouge
This is leagues past her previous album, though her hideous appearance is still a distraction.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Fishers, Indiana
Top Albums: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Minnesota
I just listened to "Toes" and if the rest of the album is anything like it, I may have found a new guilty pleasure album.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Fishers, Indiana
It's the obvious "single," but I'd say there's a good collection of equally-as-worthy tracks.
"Where the Fence is Low" is my current fave, just for the exaggerated dubstep.
Top Albums: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Lehigh Valley, PA
I wanna like her music but that's just my penis talking.
Fishers, Indiana
I wanna like Bury Your Dead but my vagina stops me and says that it's just a bunch of overgrown manchildren shouting dumb things over dumb chords.
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Lehigh Valley, PA
So you admit you're a big pussy?
Baton Rouge
You guys are seriously going to waste time arguing when you could be creating and posting more .gifs to this thread? Jeezum.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Minnesota
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Lehigh Valley, PA
Zach and I don't argue, we're like two kittens with each other.
Baton Rouge
The deadness she achieves in her eyes is always amazing.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Fishers, Indiana
Yeah Brian, Cecil and I are never really arguing when we argue.
But if you want a gif, eh, here:
This is what happens when Jim and I actually do argue. (My legs are the legs that are on fire.)
Top Albums: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Minnesota
Adult = me
Kids = Decoy staff
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Lehigh Valley, PA
Who is matt?
Fishers, Indiana
Top Albums: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Minnesota
Ok, I listened to the rest of the album... pretty underwhelming. Way to sucker me into listening to this... jerk.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Fishers, Indiana
ahaha. There are only a few weak tracks for me, but I have shamlessly awful taste in music.
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Milwaukee, WI
I actually tried this based off people's feedback here and.... I don't get it. I like some terrible, terrible poppy music, this just isn't one of those things I can get into.