Dustin Currier has had a hand in other projects, but this new Lightleak record reveals just how adept he is at adding genuine heart to the kind of post-rock we all loved in the recent past. That's not to imply that this is a throwback record, but, rather, that Tender Fits, out on Friday, hits at the same pleasure points that, say, Office of Future Plans albums did a few years back.
Opener "B.I.D.S.I.U.", with guest vocals from Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz) is a nice start, but things really kick off with "Asking for a Friend", a direct rocker. Lightleak's attack is helped immeasurably by the mix here from Chad Clark of Beauty Pill. The whole album has a nice, clean sound that gives this music an urgency and immediacy that's consistently compelling. And amid the bits that sound like they were recorded live, flashes of rich melody creep out, with "Capra-Colored Lenses" being a good example of that here.
What makes this so good is that Currier seems as interesting in the force of the material as in the hooks and heart. "No Icon" could have been a Jawbox song, nearly, but it's attack becomes less abrasive in crucial moments, giving this and others here a vibe closer to peak Ted Leo. Elsewhere, "Sympathetic Vibration" even strays into the sort of lanes Beauty Pill's Clark usually commands, without the complexity though. Currier is invested in the emotions of these compositions, such that the punch and purpose serves that end. This is all pretty impressive stuff, and a neat variation on material we heard from bands like Jawbox and Fugazi at one point in the past.
More details on Lightleak and Tender Fits via this link.
[Photo: Emily Dupree]