Having already won over XFM listeners with their delightful, Zero-7 sound-a-like single “No Conditions”, THE LIGHTS are due to release their debut album, Grand Union.
I could go down the pretentious route and say, “Nyah nyah, it’s the soundtrack to our lives, snarf,” but I couldn’t live with myself if I was to do that. But on the whole, Grand Union is an eclectic mix of indie, electronica, and smatterings of jingliness from the 1960’s, and classic 1980’s pop. I repeat, “classic” pop, like from the Hit Factory, as well as what everyone is associating with 80’s at the moment.
Unconventionally conventional, their songs cover - amongst other issues and in no particular order - relationship break-ups, being bullied, wild sex, and the undertones of life in London [which, at our age, is precisely that – disillusion, turbulent relationships, and wild sex. And wishful thinking, perhaps]. Theirs is the cleverly constructed pop songs (mainly duets), twisted with sassy effects, subtle and appropriate bleeps, and lyrics that your average twenty-something can identify with.
The opening track, “Good As It Gets”, sounds like boutique-pop (you’d probably hear it played in trendy fashion outlets around Spitalfields), a duet more along the lines of Human League than Kylie and Jason. Maybe slightly flaccid in parts, but nice background music all the same.
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“The Executioner”, has the chorus sounding exactly like “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone” [Monkeys], and erm, how would one put it, has electro-60’s-boppy overtones? I dunno, but it gets my vote. As does the raunchy, sexy soulful disco-beat-driven “Neighbours” – “Why don’t you come calling/While I’ve still got the feeling?/We could wake up the neighbours/Till they bang on the ceiling,” hooray, I think I will!
“Raise Your Hand” probably has it’s musical origins in Gary Numan, as is in vogue at the moment, but still is nice n catchy. And with the aforementioned ethereal “No Conditions” at the end of the album, they really did save the best until last. It would be worth grabbing a copy of the album for this track alone, it really is absolutely gorgeous.
So all in all, although not every song is a classic, Grand Union has some stylish, groovy, and downright dirty songs – and is highly diverse in terms of musical style, making it an interesting, and fun listen. Lovely lovely.
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