So, here we have The Listening from Lights, a 22 year old singer/songwriter whose popularity has been launching to the moon thanks to her.
The petite cutie from Timmins Ontario (now based out of Toronto) has been gaining a lot of attention with her prominent web presence and has become quite the online celebrity, but with all the attention that this young lady has had drawn to her, will the debut album be able to meet the expectations of the critics?
For those of you who have not yet had any kind of exposure to Lights, this young woman is a walking example of not judging a book by its cover. When you first see this heavily tattooed girl done up in the top of rocker fashion, you wouldn’t fully expect the 80s electro and bubblegum pop mix that she brings to the table; likewise if you hear her music before seeing her, you will kinda think “what? really? her?”
But I digress, the matter at hand is: is the album good?
Well, yeah, it is.
The album opens with a synth-heavy pop tune titled Saviour which showcases the kind of musical magic one musician with a keyboard and some software can create. A synth bassline drives the song over electric drums and poppy synth strings and pads that just create beautiful melodies.
The album continues with the synth theme with many unique songs while also showcasing tracks from her Lights EP released last year: The Last Thing on Your Mind, Ice, February Air and the summer ’08 radio hit Drive My Soul. The more familiar tracks have received some touch ups so that they still feel fresh but maintain familiarity.
The album carries great varieties of feeling and emotion, ranging from the heartfelt pop ballades such as Quiet and the title track The Listening, to the driving synth rock tunes Up Up and Away and Drive My Soul to the dancefloor track Lions and Second Go that just screams delicious 80s pop rock goodness; very Madonna.
On top of the variety of styles, the topical aspect of the lyrics is very easy to listen to and makes Lights a very real songwriter. Right off the bat Lights makes her subject matter clear: she just talks about life, normal every day situations and emotions that we all feel; she doesn’t go over the top or over dramatic and just keeps the topics real. There’s happy moments, there are sad moments, it’s just life and situations that we can all relate to.
So, the album packs variety and heartfelt, realistic subject matter, but is the music good?
Well, simply put, the musical integrity of this album is very impressive.
Lights has come up with some very catchy melodies and the musical ornamentation she puts into her songs are very pleasant to listen to but doesn’t distract from the core of the song; the songs are handled tastefully and never feel like you’re going into synth overload even though it is a synth album.
It’s pop, but it’s good pop.
Recommended Tracks River Second Go Drive My Soul Quiet
Final Thoughts This has been an amazing year for Canadian music as far as new releases go. With established acts like Alexisonfire, The Tragically Hip, Joel Plaskett and Metric putting out stellar releases, and many bands making waves with debuts like Inward Eye, Dan Mangan and Arkells, plus other huge names like Matt Good having releases coming very very soon, it would be easy to overlook to soft spoken little lady putting out a pop album; fortunately for music fans, she shows no fear going up against the big players.
So will this be an album of the year winner? Probably not, but that’s not due to any lack in the album, just re-read my statement above and you’ll remember why.
But is this a good album? Hell yeah it is. On top of being a relatively large album for the ITunes generation (14 tracks), it’s a brilliantly written pop album that can be enjoyed by youngsters, the young adults who love 80s nostalgia and adults who like just fun poppy music; and let’s face it, Lights is pretty easy on the eyes so that will likely score her a few extra male fans to.
The Listening is just $9.99 on ITunes, and comes with the ITunes exclusive Up Up and Away and is a definite recommended buy from this artist who I think we’re going to be seeing much of over the next few years.
Lights has a great look, a very potent web presence with her ever-expanding fanbase, and a great sound that blends retro with current; Lights is here folks, and if all of her releases will be as good as The Listening, then we may be looking at the next queen of Canadian music.
Which is just as well, I was tired of Avril years ago.
I’m out
So, here we have The Listening from Lights, a 22 year old singer/songwriter whose popularity has been launching to the moon thanks to her.
The petite cutie from Timmins Ontario (now based out of Toronto) has been gaining a lot of attention with her prominent web presence and has become quite the online celebrity, but with all the attention that this young lady has had drawn to her, will the debut album be able to meet the expectations of the critics?
For those of you who have not yet had any kind of exposure to Lights, this young woman is a walking example of not judging a book by its cover. When you first see this heavily tattooed girl done up in the top of rocker fashion, you wouldn’t fully expect the 80s electro and bubblegum pop mix that she brings to the table; likewise if you hear her music before seeing her, you will kinda think “what? really? her?”
But I digress, the matter at hand is: is the album good?
Well, yeah, it is.
The album opens with a synth-heavy pop tune titled Saviour which showcases the kind of musical magic one musician with a keyboard and some software can create. A synth bassline drives the song over electric drums and poppy synth strings and pads that just create beautiful melodies.
The album continues with the synth theme with many unique songs while also showcasing tracks from her Lights EP released last year: The Last Thing on Your Mind, Ice, February Air and the summer ’08 radio hit Drive My Soul. The more familiar tracks have received some touch ups so that they still feel fresh but maintain familiarity.
The album carries great varieties of feeling and emotion, ranging from the heartfelt pop ballades such as Quiet and the title track The Listening, to the driving synth rock tunes Up Up and Away and Drive My Soul to the dancefloor track Lions and Second Go that just screams delicious 80s pop rock goodness; very Madonna.
On top of the variety of styles, the topical aspect of the lyrics is very easy to listen to and makes Lights a very real songwriter. Right off the bat Lights makes her subject matter clear: she just talks about life, normal every day situations and emotions that we all feel; she doesn’t go over the top or over dramatic and just keeps the topics real. There’s happy moments, there are sad moments, it’s just life and situations that we can all relate to.
So, the album packs variety and heartfelt, realistic subject matter, but is the music good?
Well, simply put, the musical integrity of this album is very impressive.
Lights has come up with some very catchy melodies and the musical ornamentation she puts into her songs are very pleasant to listen to but doesn’t distract from the core of the song; the songs are handled tastefully and never feel like you’re going into synth overload even though it is a synth album.
It’s pop, but it’s good pop.
Recommended Tracks River Second Go Drive My Soul Quiet
Final Thoughts This has been an amazing year for Canadian music as far as new releases go. With established acts like Alexisonfire, The Tragically Hip, Joel Plaskett and Metric putting out stellar releases, and many bands making waves with debuts like Inward Eye, Dan Mangan and Arkells, plus other huge names like Matt Good having releases coming very very soon, it would be easy to overlook to soft spoken little lady putting out a pop album; fortunately for music fans, she shows no fear going up against the big players.
So will this be an album of the year winner? Probably not, but that’s not due to any lack in the album, just re-read my statement above and you’ll remember why.
But is this a good album? Hell yeah it is. On top of being a relatively large album for the ITunes generation (14 tracks), it’s a brilliantly written pop album that can be enjoyed by youngsters, the young adults who love 80s nostalgia and adults who like just fun poppy music; and let’s face it, Lights is pretty easy on the eyes so that will likely score her a few extra male fans to.
The Listening is just $9.99 on ITunes, and comes with the ITunes exclusive Up Up and Away and is a definite recommended buy from this artist who I think we’re going to be seeing much of over the next few years.
Lights has a great look, a very potent web presence with her ever-expanding fanbase, and a great sound that blends retro with current; Lights is here folks, and if all of her releases will be as good as The Listening, then we may be looking at the next queen of Canadian music.
Which is just as well, I was tired of Avril years ago.
I’m out
So, here we have The Listening from Lights, a 22 year old singer/songwriter whose popularity has been launching to the moon thanks to her.
The petite cutie from Timmins Ontario (now based out of Toronto) has been gaining a lot of attention with her prominent web presence and has become quite the online celebrity, but with all the attention that this young lady has had drawn to her, will the debut album be able to meet the expectations of the critics?
For those of you who have not yet had any kind of exposure to Lights, this young woman is a walking example of not judging a book by its cover. When you first see this heavily tattooed girl done up in the top of rocker fashion, you wouldn’t fully expect the 80s electro and bubblegum pop mix that she brings to the table; likewise if you hear her music before seeing her, you will kinda think “what? really? her?”
But I digress, the matter at hand is: is the album good?
Well, yeah, it is.
The album opens with a synth-heavy pop tune titled Saviour which showcases the kind of musical magic one musician with a keyboard and some software can create. A synth bassline drives the song over electric drums and poppy synth strings and pads that just create beautiful melodies.
The album continues with the synth theme with many unique songs while also showcasing tracks from her Lights EP released last year: The Last Thing on Your Mind, Ice, February Air and the summer ’08 radio hit Drive My Soul. The more familiar tracks have received some touch ups so that they still feel fresh but maintain familiarity.
The album carries great varieties of feeling and emotion, ranging from the heartfelt pop ballades such as Quiet and the title track The Listening, to the driving synth rock tunes Up Up and Away and Drive My Soul to the dancefloor track Lions and Second Go that just screams delicious 80s pop rock goodness; very Madonna.
On top of the variety of styles, the topical aspect of the lyrics is very easy to listen to and makes Lights a very real songwriter. Right off the bat Lights makes her subject matter clear: she just talks about life, normal every day situations and emotions that we all feel; she doesn’t go over the top or over dramatic and just keeps the topics real. There’s happy moments, there are sad moments, it’s just life and situations that we can all relate to.
So, the album packs variety and heartfelt, realistic subject matter, but is the music good?
Well, simply put, the musical integrity of this album is very impressive.
Lights has come up with some very catchy melodies and the musical ornamentation she puts into her songs are very pleasant to listen to but doesn’t distract from the core of the song; the songs are handled tastefully and never feel like you’re going into synth overload even though it is a synth album.
It’s pop, but it’s good pop.
Recommended Tracks River Second Go Drive My Soul Quiet
Final Thoughts This has been an amazing year for Canadian music as far as new releases go. With established acts like Alexisonfire, The Tragically Hip, Joel Plaskett and Metric putting out stellar releases, and many bands making waves with debuts like Inward Eye, Dan Mangan and Arkells, plus other huge names like Matt Good having releases coming very very soon, it would be easy to overlook to soft spoken little lady putting out a pop album; fortunately for music fans, she shows no fear going up against the big players.
So will this be an album of the year winner? Probably not, but that’s not due to any lack in the album, just re-read my statement above and you’ll remember why.
But is this a good album? Hell yeah it is. On top of being a relatively large album for the ITunes generation (14 tracks), it’s a brilliantly written pop album that can be enjoyed by youngsters, the young adults who love 80s nostalgia and adults who like just fun poppy music; and let’s face it, Lights is pretty easy on the eyes so that will likely score her a few extra male fans to.
The Listening is just $9.99 on ITunes, and comes with the ITunes exclusive Up Up and Away and is a definite recommended buy from this artist who I think we’re going to be seeing much of over the next few years.
Lights has a great look, a very potent web presence with her ever-expanding fanbase, and a great sound that blends retro with current; Lights is here folks, and if all of her releases will be as good as The Listening, then we may be looking at the next queen of Canadian music.
Which is just as well, I was tired of Avril years ago.
I’m out
So, here we have The Listening from Lights, a 22 year old singer/songwriter whose popularity has been launching to the moon thanks to her.
The petite cutie from Timmins Ontario (now based out of Toronto) has been gaining a lot of attention with her prominent web presence and has become quite the online celebrity, but with all the attention that this young lady has had drawn to her, will the debut album be able to meet the expectations of the critics?
For those of you who have not yet had any kind of exposure to Lights, this young woman is a walking example of not judging a book by its cover. When you first see this heavily tattooed girl done up in the top of rocker fashion, you wouldn’t fully expect the 80s electro and bubblegum pop mix that she brings to the table; likewise if you hear her music before seeing her, you will kinda think “what? really? her?”
But I digress, the matter at hand is: is the album good?
Well, yeah, it is.
The album opens with a synth-heavy pop tune titled Saviour which showcases the kind of musical magic one musician with a keyboard and some software can create. A synth bassline drives the song over electric drums and poppy synth strings and pads that just create beautiful melodies.
The album continues with the synth theme with many unique songs while also showcasing tracks from her Lights EP released last year: The Last Thing on Your Mind, Ice, February Air and the summer ’08 radio hit Drive My Soul. The more familiar tracks have received some touch ups so that they still feel fresh but maintain familiarity.
The album carries great varieties of feeling and emotion, ranging from the heartfelt pop ballades such as Quiet and the title track The Listening, to the driving synth rock tunes Up Up and Away and Drive My Soul to the dancefloor track Lions and Second Go that just screams delicious 80s pop rock goodness; very Madonna.
On top of the variety of styles, the topical aspect of the lyrics is very easy to listen to and makes Lights a very real songwriter. Right off the bat Lights makes her subject matter clear: she just talks about life, normal every day situations and emotions that we all feel; she doesn’t go over the top or over dramatic and just keeps the topics real. There’s happy moments, there are sad moments, it’s just life and situations that we can all relate to.
So, the album packs variety and heartfelt, realistic subject matter, but is the music good?
Well, simply put, the musical integrity of this album is very impressive.
Lights has come up with some very catchy melodies and the musical ornamentation she puts into her songs are very pleasant to listen to but doesn’t distract from the core of the song; the songs are handled tastefully and never feel like you’re going into synth overload even though it is a synth album.
It’s pop, but it’s good pop.
Recommended Tracks River Second Go Drive My Soul Quiet
Final Thoughts This has been an amazing year for Canadian music as far as new releases go. With established acts like Alexisonfire, The Tragically Hip, Joel Plaskett and Metric putting out stellar releases, and many bands making waves with debuts like Inward Eye, Dan Mangan and Arkells, plus other huge names like Matt Good having releases coming very very soon, it would be easy to overlook to soft spoken little lady putting out a pop album; fortunately for music fans, she shows no fear going up against the big players.
So will this be an album of the year winner? Probably not, but that’s not due to any lack in the album, just re-read my statement above and you’ll remember why.
But is this a good album? Hell yeah it is. On top of being a relatively large album for the ITunes generation (14 tracks), it’s a brilliantly written pop album that can be enjoyed by youngsters, the young adults who love 80s nostalgia and adults who like just fun poppy music; and let’s face it, Lights is pretty easy on the eyes so that will likely score her a few extra male fans to.
The Listening is just $9.99 on ITunes, and comes with the ITunes exclusive Up Up and Away and is a definite recommended buy from this artist who I think we’re going to be seeing much of over the next few years.
Lights has a great look, a very potent web presence with her ever-expanding fanbase, and a great sound that blends retro with current; Lights is here folks, and if all of her releases will be as good as The Listening, then we may be looking at the next queen of Canadian music.
Which is just as well, I was tired of Avril years ago.
Chief Editor & Founder of Live in Limbo. Host & Producer of the Capsule Podcast. Sean is an award-winning photographer and Nikon Professional Services member. His work has appeared on the CBC, Pitchfork, and MUCH. He is an Academy Delegate at the JUNOs (CARAS) and has been involved in the Toronto music scene since 2005. He is also an endurance and CrossFit athlete. You should follow him on Twitter @SeanChin.
