Lights Go Out is an interesting beast of a band.
In the past couple of years, I have watched Lights Go Out emerge as a basement DIY band in most senses of that term, break up, and re-emerge as a band freshly invigorated and ready to tackle some bigger shows.
Exploring New Lows functions like one big driving musical statement that is simultaneously in your face yet oddly diplomatic. Listening to Zac Baaske sing is almost like being engaged in an intense yet cordial conversation. The urgency of the music is unrelenting though – you only have to hear the last couple minutes or so of the ironically titled “Don’t Worry” to get this sense. With how loud and intense things get, the end of the song fades like an alarm being snuffed out by some disaster underway.
One thing I really appreciate about the record is the genuine feel I get while listening to it. I was listening in my car on the way home from work today and as I drove down Riverside Drive from Powell to Grandview in the dark my mind was transported to a dirty bar somewhere, as if I was hearing this in person. When I listen to music I often impulsively picture the band playing the music in my mind creating a feeling that you’re there is hard to do over recording. I think the fact that this music is imperfect is what does it for me. The band isn’t trying to hide anything, nor be anything they’re not. They are loud and unapologetic yet not intimidating.
As for the style of this band – good friggin question. If you put a gun to my head I might say they were somewhere between shoegaze and garage rock, with some punk sensibility thrown in. Yet even with this description, I feel like I’m pulling terms out of the air. All I know is that it is the sort of thing you can sing along to and yet feel like there’s a storm brewing the whole time (“No, Not Yet, Srry” is the quintessential Lights Go Out song in this regard).
So, basically, I get to see this band tomorrow and I’m thanking God they didn’t break up for good because I haven’t seen them yet.
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