Lightning Bug
No Paradise
***and1/2 out of *****
The NYC based Lightning Bug's fourth album is a continuation of their mix of ethereal and folk sounds as the quartet toy with electronics, nature, poetry, and the modern world on No Paradise.
The band Kevin Copeland (guitars and bass), Logan Miley (cello and synth), and Dane Hagen (drums and percussion) support frontwoman Audrey Kang as the sounds both coalesce with and whisper way behind her vocals, as she is the clear focal point throughout.
"On Paradise" opens the album in pleasant, soft building fashion as Kang's excellent vocals immediately step out in front of the light electro sounds blowing through. "The Quickening" is tough to pin down as the pulsing emanates from various directions, skittering like an insect while guitar lines vibrate in the artsy track. The Flowering" is more direct, dramatically swelling around drum breaks as the tracks floats, layered and nuanced before a sweet finale.
Light indie-rock with nice bass work highlights "Opus" which uses a dance laden groove to close before the album centerpiece "December Song" goes big with layers of strings and beats but never truly takes off.
Better is when the band shifts gears a bit with "Serenade" as an almost hip-hop ready beat pushes things with fluttering haunting sounds at the edges threaten to disrupt it all. The breathy vocals and big sweeping scope of "Lullaby For Love" drips into an art/dance instrumental before the odd acoustic waltzing of "Morrow Song" use found sounds in pretty Tom Waits fashion.
The artistic album wraps up with two pleasant, easy rolling efforts "Just Above My Head" and the title track, wrapping things up on an easy flowing note for a band who has been through some personal struggles recently and now are birthed anew with No Paradise.
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