Notofu.com: Light Pollution
Published by: Notofu.com
Date: April 14, 2010
Format: Web (www.notofu.com)
Type: Music Review
Light Pollution – Apparitions
In February of 2009, I wrote a feature about Light Pollution for a small Chicago newspaper. At the time, the band was living in and operating out of a 30,000-square-foot warehouse in DeKalb, Illinois, a sleepy college town that’s about an hour west of Chicago. I knew that it wouldn’t be long before the band’s sound outgrew DeKalb and even the confines of the hard-to-break-out-of Chicago music scene. Just over a year later, with Apparitions, the band’s debut full-length record on Carpark Records, Light Pollution is making its introduction to national audiences.
Apparitions begins with “Good Feelings,” a song that prepares listeners for Light Pollution’s blend of a somewhat psychedelic sound (with the looping textures that are reminiscent of Animal Collective), and more straightforward, pop-oriented rock (defined by Arcade Fire-style drumming and a constant bass line, the two carrying the track through the space created by the other ethereal elements). The intersection of these two styles becomes a constant theme throughout the album, like a seesaw of sorts – when one becomes dominant, the other pulls the song back to the middle.
“Fever Dreams” begins with a light, smooth bass line with an early 90’s easy listening vibe before transitioning into a tight rhythm with a busy drum beat and fluttering guitars, that, unfortunately, almost falls apart by its denouement. Singer Jim Cicero’s vocals transition from a catchy chorus melody into a drawn out, effect-laden atmospheric sound. The drums, after swelling, drop out save for some cymbal hits and the song becomes more of a wide-open, spacey mood than anything else. There are more of such songs, that begin as one thing and end as something entirely different. The next track, “Deyci, Right On,” begins as minimal sounds, fades up to a song, and then fades back out the way that it began.
There is more at work here than just a juxtaposition between abstract and traditional indie rock sounds though. Apparitions is a record from a band that may still be finding its own sound, taking influence from all over the place and seeing what sticks. It shows a band that knows how to write a number of different kinds of songs and how to make them work well together. For a debut record, it will do its job: capturing interest among listeners and buying some time for the band to get back to writing more songs. Maybe what comes next will be more concentrated or maybe it will be just as diverse. Either way, though, I will be listening.
3.5/5