I do venture outside the realm of pop music quite often and it isn't necessarily always to Synth world. Growing up, my musical taste started off in the New Wave category and as I got older, that genre moved into Alternative and now sits somewhere in the Prog Rock/Emo/Indie genre. I have always loved the sound of a full band with lead guitar, bass and drums. It doesn't have to be all computer generated for me to get on board and this new band from Peterborough, Ontario makes me remember just how much I love quality rock music.
Light Company is a quartet made up of Michael Langiewicz (Vocals & Guitar), Adam Langiewicz (Percussion & Backing Vocals), Lukas Wojcicki (Bass & Backing Vocals) and Shayne Ernst (Guitars & Backing Vocals). Living in different cities would make rehearsal hard enough, but when all four members live in 2 separate provinces - you can only imagine how that can increase the difficulty level.
When I talk about Pop music, it's very easy for me to talk about how the songs are structured and how they make me feel and things like that but when you shift from one genre to another, I'm still capable but it is a bit more challenging especially when you start adding heavier guitar riffs and more prolific lyrics. I guess when it's all broken down; they have the same basic building blocks but what Light Company has done (more so than other artists I've reviewed) have crafted tracks that showcase their innumerable skills for layering sound and creating an ambiance and atmosphere that you easily get caught up in. It's more than a simple three chord progression. It's depth and a breadth of motion that is far greater than a simple debut EP.
The music these men have created is mature and full of insight far greater than their time together. When you listen to the album, you can hear a trust level between the four of them that lets you know they have no fear in the direction they are moving in. The songs are have such a mutable quality and as you are going along with them, they move and bend and shift and what you're left with is something different than when you started. I think the quote about the journey not being about the destination but the actual trip along the way sums up what they've created. If you allow yourself the opportunity and close your eyes, the trip they've given you the road map for is well worth the time.
As an opening track, "Giants & Hammers" starts the album off with a showcase of technical precision that makes you step back and say, "Oh, It's gonna be like this- huh?" Michael shows incredible restraint in his voice as it punctuates the backing track while the guitars create this space for the song to live in that gives it qualities of hard and soft in perfect balance. It's moody and melodic at the same time without coming off as pretentious.
The title track, "The Boy Who Sat On Ocean Floors" opens up a bit more with more of that ambient feeling that is perfectly balanced by a fully realized atmospheric track. This mid-tempo track has a slow burn quality to it that just makes it easy to listen to. It's accessible and has an awesome breakdown around the middle eight that leads the track into organized chaos.
"Each To A Grain" is the next track that was previously released as a single and the guitar work on this track is so great. It does remind me a little of Two Door Cinema Club a bit but that's in no way a negative. I love how this track seemingly has an obvious beginning, middle and end. It rises and builds on it's own and has it's own conclusion as well. Like any good bit of storytelling, this track stands easily on it's own merit.
I've been talking about this overall sense of melody and how the sound fills up the space and what they've done on "The Cellist of Sarajevo" is just their way of showing off and saying, "You want to be transported to a new place, we can do that". This song is just so big and if I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be this one. It has a life of it's own and just continues to grow as the track progresses.
Wrapping up the EP is the instrumental track, "Echos of Home", an evocative song that just leaves you satisfied but needing something more. It's a bit of a cliffhanger but you are at peace by the time it winds down. This song is certainly the right way at doing things because it wraps the album up beautifully. It's simple and it's succinct but you still have all the elemental prowess that has carried you to this point.
I have to give it up to Mitch Girio at Slaughterhouse754 in Toronto, Ontario for an amazing job at refining and honing the sound. I look forward to more releases from these guys and can't wait to see what they have in store. If you like Two Door Cinema Club, these guys are going to give you everything you need.
The Boy Who Sat On Ocean Floors will be availble April 16, 2013 on Light Company's BandCamp. Buy it when it comes out. It's totally worth it.
Light Company on the Web
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lightcompany
Twitter: @lightcompany
BandCamp: http://lightcompany.bandcamp.com/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/lightcompanycanada
When I talk about Pop music, it's very easy for me to talk about how the songs are structured and how they make me feel and things like that but when you shift from one genre to another, I'm still capable but it is a bit more challenging especially when you start adding heavier guitar riffs and more prolific lyrics. I guess when it's all broken down; they have the same basic building blocks but what Light Company has done (more so than other artists I've reviewed) have crafted tracks that showcase their innumerable skills for layering sound and creating an ambiance and atmosphere that you easily get caught up in. It's more than a simple three chord progression. It's depth and a breadth of motion that is far greater than a simple debut EP.
The music these men have created is mature and full of insight far greater than their time together. When you listen to the album, you can hear a trust level between the four of them that lets you know they have no fear in the direction they are moving in. The songs are have such a mutable quality and as you are going along with them, they move and bend and shift and what you're left with is something different than when you started. I think the quote about the journey not being about the destination but the actual trip along the way sums up what they've created. If you allow yourself the opportunity and close your eyes, the trip they've given you the road map for is well worth the time.
As an opening track, "Giants & Hammers" starts the album off with a showcase of technical precision that makes you step back and say, "Oh, It's gonna be like this- huh?" Michael shows incredible restraint in his voice as it punctuates the backing track while the guitars create this space for the song to live in that gives it qualities of hard and soft in perfect balance. It's moody and melodic at the same time without coming off as pretentious.
The title track, "The Boy Who Sat On Ocean Floors" opens up a bit more with more of that ambient feeling that is perfectly balanced by a fully realized atmospheric track. This mid-tempo track has a slow burn quality to it that just makes it easy to listen to. It's accessible and has an awesome breakdown around the middle eight that leads the track into organized chaos.
"Each To A Grain" is the next track that was previously released as a single and the guitar work on this track is so great. It does remind me a little of Two Door Cinema Club a bit but that's in no way a negative. I love how this track seemingly has an obvious beginning, middle and end. It rises and builds on it's own and has it's own conclusion as well. Like any good bit of storytelling, this track stands easily on it's own merit.
I've been talking about this overall sense of melody and how the sound fills up the space and what they've done on "The Cellist of Sarajevo" is just their way of showing off and saying, "You want to be transported to a new place, we can do that". This song is just so big and if I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be this one. It has a life of it's own and just continues to grow as the track progresses.
Wrapping up the EP is the instrumental track, "Echos of Home", an evocative song that just leaves you satisfied but needing something more. It's a bit of a cliffhanger but you are at peace by the time it winds down. This song is certainly the right way at doing things because it wraps the album up beautifully. It's simple and it's succinct but you still have all the elemental prowess that has carried you to this point.
I have to give it up to Mitch Girio at Slaughterhouse754 in Toronto, Ontario for an amazing job at refining and honing the sound. I look forward to more releases from these guys and can't wait to see what they have in store. If you like Two Door Cinema Club, these guys are going to give you everything you need.
The Boy Who Sat On Ocean Floors will be availble April 16, 2013 on Light Company's BandCamp. Buy it when it comes out. It's totally worth it.
Light Company on the Web
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lightcompany
Twitter: @lightcompany
BandCamp: http://lightcompany.bandcamp.com/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/lightcompanycanada
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