Album Review: Lights - Siberia

It's not often that I stumble upon an artist's image dozens of time before I actually know they make music, but that was the case with Lights. Lights, known not only for her infectious pop music but for her looks as well, has her visage plastered all over the internet a la her many admirers. Once discovering that she did indeed create music, I jumped in expecting shallow, forgettable pop....and I was right. That's correct, my first impression of Lights was one of disdain; a revulsion at the synth laden music that neither challenged nor impressed me. Well I decided to give Lights a second chance, picking up her sophomore release, Siberia, almost immediately.

And thank God I did, because Siberia is an improvement in every single way possible, and a damn fine album in its own right.

Siberia is a sign of a perfect maturation. Lights has progressed in her craft, without leaving behind everything she's done up to this point. This ensures that she won't alienate her fans, and promises to show her detractors just what she's capable of. In that sense Siberia is the definition of what a follow up album should be.

Siberia may be grown up, and may be a little different, but it's still certifiably Lights. It's catchy, infectious pop done right. It's still electronica heavy, but she's strengthened her skill in the genre enough so that it's actually incredibly impressive, rather than cheesy. She's incorporated a more diverse range of influences, including house and dubstep. These influences make Siberia a much more interesting piece of music. Her vocals are another big draw here as well. They aren't bold and powerful, but confident and amiable. She's quite charming, and has a very alluring delivery.

Lights is beautiful, makes insanely catchy music, has a lot more depth than almost all of her peers, and has been improving exponentially ever since she first appeared on the scene. Pop artists like her don't come around that often. We rarely ever see such a great mixture of talent, personality, and presence. Lights is all three, and her music is definitely worth looking into.

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Tracklist:
01. Siberia
02. Where The Fence Is Low
03. Toes (feat. Holy Fuck)
04. Banner
05. Everybody Breaks A Glass (feat. Holy Fuck & Shad)
06. Heavy Rope
07. Timing Is Everything
08. Peace Sign
09. Cactus In The Valley
10. Suspension
11. Flux And Flow (feat. Shad)
12. Fourth Dimension
13. And Counting …
14. Day One