D.C.'s Light Beams remain one of this city's criminally underrated bands. It feels like this three-piece is the sort of group that deserves as much attention as, say, Priests got a couple of years ago. Which is to say, that 2020 ought to be the year that they blow up beyond this city's circles. Add to that the fact that Light Beams are a fantastic live act. And, I'm very happy to report, the newest album from the trio, Self Help, out tomorrow on Don Giovanni Records, captures not only the fire of the Light Beams live shows, but the smarts of their style as well.
Self Help bristles with the kind of spark that precious few releases have these days. If some of this, like the retro "Renegade", leans heavily into the Eighties synths (and Public Enemy quotes), the point is to un-ironically embrace the forms of the past to make rallying personal anthems for the 21st century. The overall effect of having stuff like "It's Been a Minute" sitting side-by-side next to more percussive numbers like "Here to Help" is an interesting one. I mean, Self Help is both a fun album, and a pointed one. In that sense, its closest peer might be something from Le Tigre, for example, even if Self Help amps up the energy levels in different, funkier ways.
If the players here -- drummer Sam Lavine, bassist Arthur Noll, and sampler/vocalist Justin Moyer -- are interested in New Wave political rock, their tunes still sound more like old funk records, or early hip hop sides, than anything by the Red Wedge musicians who stormed around England, for example. "Rubberband" owes more to Prince and Curtis Mayfield (that bass-line is right out of "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go"), than it does to Gang of Four, you know? Still, "Tear It Up" did remind me (a tiny bit) of a Rage Against the Machine song, even if the attack here is more precise and musically nuanced.
I dug all of this record, and was surprised by how easily Light Beams touched on other genres to craft something fairly unique, especially on closer "Light Beams Theme", a smashing number that has some real rap flavors about it. There's variety here, and a refinement of what Light Beams have done before, enough so that this is clearly their best release by a mile. Now go see them play this stuff live!
Self Help is out on Friday via Don Giovanni Records.
More details on Light Beams via the band's official Facebook page
[Photo: me, 2017]