By Steve Jones.
LITE are an instrumental math rock band from Tokyo, and For all the Innocence is their third LP.
Allow me to predict your initial reaction to this album:
"Hey, cool, is this some Battles material I haven't heard yet? Oh, it's just some band from Japan called LITE. I guess that must be short for 'BATTLES: LITE,' AM I RIGHT?"
Well, maybe I'm just extrapolating from my own first impressions. I was so ready to write off this band as a Battles clone and be done with it. But, on the other hand, if you're going to clone a band, Battles are a pretty good and unexpected place to start. I also just liked how this album sounded, so I listened to it one more time, then several more times, and now I am writing about it.
The Battles parallels are definitely present, in that we have an instrumental math rock type band who, with this album in particular, seem to have a lot of fun playing around with intricate interlocking melodies, solid performances from all members, and general silliness. The track "Duck Follows an Eccentric" also has a guitar tone very reminiscent of the recent Battles tune "Futura," and its spastic melody with a penchant for odd time signatures just screams Mirrored to me. But LITE do have a sound that is their own, and For all the Innocence actually marks a rather pointed shift in style. After listening to their previous two efforts, Filmlets and Phantasia, this new LP strikes me as the brightest and poppiest this band has ever sounded. Those looking for a song to match the relentless hard rock riffs found on Phantasia opener "Ef" are going to be disappointed, but not necessarily in a bad way.
Most songs here get built layer by layer: one instrument will supply a groove, then another will add their voice, then another, and so on. It's a very minimalistic approach, with melodies and rhythms coming in, evolving, and fading over the course of the track. This means there isn't much room for jarring tonal shifts or neat surprises like that, but it nonetheless creates an array of songs which are distinct, interesting, and accessible.
"Rabbit" builds upon a simple piano arpeggio, and, initially, it sounds precious enough to soundtrack a documentary, but then the guitars hit hard and bring the song back for me. "Pelican Watched as the Sun Sank" is an excellent example of the kind of layering I just mentioned, with each instrumentalist basically doing their own thing and creating a neat, interlocking groove. The mixing is also mercifully clear enough to distinguish each guitar. The post-rock-esque explosions of sound and color on "7day Cicada" propel that track to "on repeat" status. But my favorite track is "Pirate and Parakeets," which I can only describe as blissful Caribbean math rock. It's an exercise in excess, with lots of tropical sounding instruments, hand claps, "oh oh oh oh" vocalizing, and a danceable beat that crescendos, pulls back, and crescendos even more. Maybe you won't like it, y'know, if you don't like fun.
My biggest issue with the album is that I really wish most of these songs evolved and progressed and just did more with their running time. There are subtle changes which occur, sure, but for the most part the beginning of a track will sound similar to the end. Consequently, your enjoyment of the album is going to depend heavily upon how much you like the grooves this group lays down. Personally, I enjoy most of them, but I still wish LITE had been more adventurous and played off each other more. And while I appreciate the fact that there are quieter moments on the album, namely the opener, closer, and short interlude "Rebirth," they feel even less developed.
I don't know if this is true at all, but I can imagine LITE being ridiculously killer to see live. Like I said, the songs here are just begging for some extended real time improvisation, and a live setting could definitely bring that out. As is, though, this is a solid collection of jams that are almost as colorful and diverse as the animals which inspired them.
Score: LITE-to-decent 7(day Cicada)
"Hey, cool, is this some Battles material I haven't heard yet? Oh, it's just some band from Japan called LITE. I guess that must be short for 'BATTLES: LITE,' AM I RIGHT?"
Well, maybe I'm just extrapolating from my own first impressions. I was so ready to write off this band as a Battles clone and be done with it. But, on the other hand, if you're going to clone a band, Battles are a pretty good and unexpected place to start. I also just liked how this album sounded, so I listened to it one more time, then several more times, and now I am writing about it.
The Battles parallels are definitely present, in that we have an instrumental math rock type band who, with this album in particular, seem to have a lot of fun playing around with intricate interlocking melodies, solid performances from all members, and general silliness. The track "Duck Follows an Eccentric" also has a guitar tone very reminiscent of the recent Battles tune "Futura," and its spastic melody with a penchant for odd time signatures just screams Mirrored to me. But LITE do have a sound that is their own, and For all the Innocence actually marks a rather pointed shift in style. After listening to their previous two efforts, Filmlets and Phantasia, this new LP strikes me as the brightest and poppiest this band has ever sounded. Those looking for a song to match the relentless hard rock riffs found on Phantasia opener "Ef" are going to be disappointed, but not necessarily in a bad way.
Most songs here get built layer by layer: one instrument will supply a groove, then another will add their voice, then another, and so on. It's a very minimalistic approach, with melodies and rhythms coming in, evolving, and fading over the course of the track. This means there isn't much room for jarring tonal shifts or neat surprises like that, but it nonetheless creates an array of songs which are distinct, interesting, and accessible.
"Rabbit" builds upon a simple piano arpeggio, and, initially, it sounds precious enough to soundtrack a documentary, but then the guitars hit hard and bring the song back for me. "Pelican Watched as the Sun Sank" is an excellent example of the kind of layering I just mentioned, with each instrumentalist basically doing their own thing and creating a neat, interlocking groove. The mixing is also mercifully clear enough to distinguish each guitar. The post-rock-esque explosions of sound and color on "7day Cicada" propel that track to "on repeat" status. But my favorite track is "Pirate and Parakeets," which I can only describe as blissful Caribbean math rock. It's an exercise in excess, with lots of tropical sounding instruments, hand claps, "oh oh oh oh" vocalizing, and a danceable beat that crescendos, pulls back, and crescendos even more. Maybe you won't like it, y'know, if you don't like fun.
My biggest issue with the album is that I really wish most of these songs evolved and progressed and just did more with their running time. There are subtle changes which occur, sure, but for the most part the beginning of a track will sound similar to the end. Consequently, your enjoyment of the album is going to depend heavily upon how much you like the grooves this group lays down. Personally, I enjoy most of them, but I still wish LITE had been more adventurous and played off each other more. And while I appreciate the fact that there are quieter moments on the album, namely the opener, closer, and short interlude "Rebirth," they feel even less developed.
I don't know if this is true at all, but I can imagine LITE being ridiculously killer to see live. Like I said, the songs here are just begging for some extended real time improvisation, and a live setting could definitely bring that out. As is, though, this is a solid collection of jams that are almost as colorful and diverse as the animals which inspired them.
Score: LITE-to-decent 7(day Cicada)
Good sangs but holy shit is this way too similar to Battles.
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