It's unclear if Light In August's name has anything to do with the Faulkner novel of the same name, but since it's a band consisting of three guys with beards, one of which plays the flute, it probably does.
In any case, their new album, Places, is basically an indie dream – mystical music with strange instruments, clever lyrics, and a lot of artwork featuring birds. They also do a good job of keeping themselves almost secretive – with no bio on their website, no press release, and only a list of band members and no indication (online, at least) to what instrument they play.
Places really is delightful, though, all joking aside. The CD itself says there are two flute players, Alex Wand and Rachel Woolf, and both are fantastic. It's hard to make a flute relevant in contemporary, non-classical or jazz music, and they both do a pretty convincing job. The rest of the music is airy and light, which complements the flute parts, and never seems to get too dark. Light In August sound a little like Explosions in the Sky, without the darker edge (and with lyrics).
The lyrics are the highest point of the album, though. Alex Wand's vocals are appropriate and never over-done, and each song makes a specific point. “You are the air inside my lungs/exhale you into the sun/and you are veins around my blood/I throw you into the night/and paint you into the Northern Lights” Wand sings on “Northern Lights”, easily the album's best song. But the rest of the songs are almost as good. “Your blood cells are moving slow, your nerves are split in two/and it’s dark as night, oh we were reading you/just like a paperback or the headline news/we’d go through a library just to know what to do” Wand says on “Headline News”, with excellent backing vocals from Ali Hodges. There is never an indication of who wrote the lyrics, but they're impressively unique and intelligent (perhaps these guys really do love Faulkner).
A lot of bands try to be “indie” and can't pull it off. Light In August succeeds because they're not trying to be anything – they're clearly just playing music they enjoy, and, as a result, Places is a charming, warm album you won't forget.
Key Tracks: “Northern Lights”, “To Be Alone”, “Pacific Coast”
March 12, 2010
