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Sometimes an album can make you feel like you’ve gone through all of the steps of
falling in love in a matter of thirty-plus minutes. Things seem good at
first—too good, in fact—and it keeps you a little wary. Then, with each date,
that eerie connection begins to feel more and more like something special—and,
before you know it, you’re talking monogram towels.
Substitute dates for songs and the monogram talk (which I realize is super-creepy when referring to a band) for a high level of enthusiasm, and this is
exactly how I felt when listening to Milwaukee’s own Light Music and their
debut album, Ocean’s Daughter.
To me, this is the type of album that comes out maybe ten times in a life span: an album so good that I have serious doubts that the band itself will ever
come close to duplicating its beauty. This is a band that knows exactly what
they want their sound to be, but they also know how to manipulate and play around
with it without betraying it. The closest comparison that I can make is that it sounds like a somewhat softer version of Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare, but
this is so much more.
These guys know exactly how to balance and mix both their individual songs and
the album as a whole. Everything they employ is done to absolute perfection:
shifting rhythms (both during songs and from song to song), changing dynamics,
and adding and taking away instruments just enough to keep you wanting more but
never to the point of exhaustion. It felt like this
album was reading my mind, just in terms of feel and direction—a connection that I
won’t soon forget.
And, finally, here’s a band that makes the clarity of its lyrics a priority!
Personally, I would be fine with no lyrics on any album, but if you’re going
to have them, at least make them comprehensible. This is the first time in a
long time that I didn’t have to make a concentrated effort to understand what
the heck was being sung, and it pays off greatly—especially in knowing that
the album follows the love saga of oceanic heroine Aphrodite.
I know I probably sound like an irrational fanboy here, and I’ve probably built
this thing up to the point of being almost impossible for it to meet anyone’s
expectations, but that is what truly great music can do to someone. And if you
listen to this album, I think you’ll understand. Buy it.
Ed. Note: Want to give Ocean’s Daughter a listen? You can stream tracks from the album on Soundcloud.
