Lights Out is the impending debut album release by new boy/girl duo Big Deal. Formed of American boy Kacey Underwood and British girl Alice Costelloe, who in a very “White Stripes” way like to retain an enigmatic degree of mystery over the status of their personal relationship with each other, and how exactly the band formed. This is all superfluous to the actual release of their album however, which is more focused on the trans-Atlantic vibe of their music, which is unapologetically filled somewhat paradoxically with US style guitars and UK subtlety and subdued vocals.
Lights Out is mostly constructed of guitars and vocals, with only the very occasional usage of pad-synth strings constructed on GarageBand. This album is not mellow, drab accoustica however; there is a wealth of guitar parts in each song with a huge variety of timbres, most of which are electric. There are also some distorted interludes present which are fairly reminiscent of pop punk, post-rock and grunge. Much of the guitar parts have these all-American influences, but in more subdued moments there is a definite folk-cum-Britpop vibe, evident through stripped-down, starker timbres and quieter styles of playing. The significant presence of guitars throughout this album is very refreshing when one considers how little the guitar as an instrument has been focused on in indie music over the past couple of years. It is also very refreshing to hear very little overt influences from older generations of music, with Big Deal focusing much more on 90s/00s influences instead. Indeed, many of the timbres used throughout Lights Out should encourage at least a small degree of nostalgia from anyone in their 20s or 30s of guitar musics past.
Whilst many of the tracks here have heavier elements within the individual guitar timbres, this album is essentially a mellow and delicate affair. Tracks such as ‘Chair’ and ‘Swoon’ seem to work particularly well, where Big Deal attempt to embrace the obvious simplicity of their work instead of trying to transcend it with too many thick flangey overdubs. These more subdued tracks also focus on developing the melody of the song well, creating beautiful vocal lines with quietly curious harmonies.
Understandably, the other major focus of this album is Underwood and Costelloe’s vocals. Both sides of the duo have lovely voices that are delicate, warm and rich. The lyrics are also a key focal point in each track. Whilst the lyrics do often deal with teenage angst such as homework or episodes of identity crisis, there is little over-laboured dramatisim in its sentiment or delivery. Instead, the sweet innocence within Big Deal’s concern and despondency actually has a very universal edge, and certainly does not alienate their work into the disconcertingly melancholic area of emo.
Lights Out is a very pretty, contemplative, heartfelt, considered and delicate album, and is delightful in its innocence and simplicity. However, it is not overwhelmingly different or exciting, however, perhaps due to its sparseness it might have the strength to grow on you, as subtle music often does. But there are certainly some weaker, filler tracks present in this album, which at times make mostly fine album a little bit staid and disappointing.
http://www.myspace.com/weareabigdeal
05/09/2011
[rating:3.5]
