City Light was formed in 2006 by Seattle singer-songwriter Matt Shaw and Bay area producer Nick Andre (Gift of Gab, Lateef, Bicasso). It is a collaborative effort between artists from across the country with a variety of histories, sounds, and influences. With a perfect combination of indie-pop, electronic, and rock and roll, they see the arrival of  their sophomore  LP, Burned Out Light in January of 2010. I had a chance to listen to the LP and it is probably my favorite album of  all year.

I have been listening to the LP on repeat all this week because it is that good. They sort of remind me of this German band called The Notwist, which also blends indie rock and electronica, often leaning towards the “emo” side. On first listen the album may feel/seem dark and melancholic, but when you really listen to it, you will realizes there is more light than dark.

What amazed me by this album was that it had the right amount of “emotion.” There where some upbeat ones, some down tempo tracks, but all of the songs fit well together to round out a cohesive album, something you don’t find now a days.

Their music is simple in its arrangement and style. Driving drums,  dubbed guitars with ambient effects created a world of sound that laid the frame work for Matt Shaw’s vocals. Within this world of sound, they have managed to craft catchy choruses that stick in your head. Simple single-note melodies dubbed over and over with harmonies adds a fullness that never overpowers the rest of the instrumentation, but rather holds the melodies together.

While listening to he album I noticed that Mr. Shaw’s voice becomes almost hypnotic as he captures you and takes you to his world. There is a sense of longing/angst in his voice that stops the songs lyrics, form becoming too cheesy.

Some highlights include “Prove Me Wrong” which has this awesome background synth melody and lyrics that really provoke feelings in the listener. The lyric “If you ever need me, you can always call me, if you ever leave me, you know where you can find me” for some reason has been stuck in my head since I first heard it and is a prime example of the emotion that is conveyed in each one of their songs. Another highlight, “Hour by Hour,” talks about how he can’t seem to find the words to tell this girl how he feels– ” hours on the floor, with an open ended reply i couldn’t structure anymore. ” The song in general is just amazing and beautiful.

Not every song is downtempo and emotional. On the opposite side of the spectrum you have “Far Away From Here” which starts off with the right amount of energy only to get to the pre-chorus/chorus section where they hit you with power chords.

I will end the review saying this, every song on this album is amazin’. A must listen to.

enjoY!

City Light – Burned Out Bight