This record is a helluva thing. For those of us who've seen and been moved by the Light Beams live show, this seems like the first record to actually capture that vibe on vinyl. For those of you who've only heard the band's albums, this takes the whole sound and pushes it forward. Things are bigger on Wild Life, but the energy is full of the familiar fire that earlier offerings from this crew provided.
The original trio of Justin Moyer (vocals, samples), Sam Lavine (drums), and Arthur Noll (bass) has now been added to with new band members Leah Gage (vocals, rototoms) and Erin McCarley (vocals, timbales, samples), and a listener pegs the broader scope here down to this now being a five-piece. "Blood Moon (2022)" draws in snatches of Afro-pop to the sound, the percussion here carrying the song forward, while "Gimme Phenomena" is funk for the end times. "Never 2 Late for Bass (It's Real)" is a wonderful racket of riffs, hooks, and rhythms, while "Get Up! Get on Your Feet!" uses horn samples to push things into the atmosphere.
On earlier releases, it felt like Justin Moyer was the most intense player here in this ensemble, but on Wild Life, every member of this outfit seems to be operating at 11. And, as a result of that, the whole album is like a shot of adrenaline. There are political concerns, yes, most notably on single "Coming Our Way" and closer "Hey (Jan. 6 Version)", but the music is invigorating too. The lyrics are direct, and meaningful in their simplicity. Moyer wants to get us off our asses, but he wants us to think too.
Justin Moyer is known for his work with Antelope, Edie Sedgwick, Puff Pieces and other D.C. bands, and Arthur Noll holds it down for Bed Maker now, and Sam Lavine keeps the beat for Sensor Ghost, but here, together, and with Gage and McCarley, they've found real spark. There are some faint similarities in terms of sensibility and style to The Make-Up, but this quintet drops fire without a trace of irony. In that sense, one could probably more easily reach for Gang of Four for a point of comparison. All that said, those references I've made are only there to convince newbies to take a chance on Wild Life. For those of us already in the know, already fans, this is the kind of record we've always wanted from Light Beams. It pumps up the soul like their previous offerings, but it has more bite, more punch, and is generally funkier. Maybe the closest thing the Dischord scene's produced that actually sounds like the go-go that soundtracked this city during the label's rise, Wild Life is a blast.
Wild Life by Light Beams is out today. Details below or via Dischord.
[Photo: Top picture by Leah Gage; Live picture by me, 2023]