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Nov 29, 2016 Web Exclusive By Lily Moayeri

The Aged brothers, who are the duo behind inc. no world, are known for their stellar musicianship and soft, soulful touch. On As Light As Light, the duo’s second full-length, the first on their own No World Recordings, they pull back from the studio experimentation that coupled with their performance made their 2013 debut, No World (released under the name inc.), interesting. As Light As Light has a back-to-basics approach that focuses on conventional songwriting and a renewed emphasis on the Ageds’ performance. This is particularly noticeable with vocalist Andrew, whose delivery veers towards traditional R&B.

That style can be applied to the entirety of As Light As Light, making the album come across as one-dimensional and repetitive. Where the production veered toward the tentative but exploratory before, it is tighter on As Light As Light, possibly due to the involvement of producer Cole M.G.N. (Beck, Nite Jewel), but it doesn’t help with the predictable and disposable nature of the album. There are a couple of barely discernable spikes, such as on the moody “In This Dream” and the bubbling “Waters of You,” but those are far and few between. As Light As Light won’t bother anyone playing in the background, that’s probably the best place for it, but it won’t draw attention to itself either. (www.inc-no-world.com)

Author rating: 4/10