Rites

Lights

Drag City

Jul 20, 2009 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

Brooklyn's Lights certainly concocts a strange sonic stew on its second album. It starts off with the swirling psychedelia of "Heavy Drops," which segues into the jumpy guitar groove of "Can You Hear Me," a track that includes a lazy sax solo that sounds like it was sampled from Billy Joel's The Stranger. The hippy-dippy sentiments of "Love" ("Happy to be here with you/I feel love all around") are followed by what amounts to a lyrical acid trip on the 6 ½-minute "Hold On," including lines such as: "Wings shiver above/A dusty blue veil/Lost in the dust/Lost in the road." The soft and gentle "We Belong" gives way to the rock and roll yelping of "War Theme." And then there's "Fire Night," a song anchored by a funk bassline and including male-sung French vocals and sensual moans. Most of the singing is done by the band's co-female lead vocalists, whose voices mix and meld gracefully, no matter the sonic backdrop. Despite the diversity, Rites is a surprisingly cohesive experience, and the unexpected left turns just add flavor. (www.myspace.com/lightsmakemusic)

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