KITES WITH LIGHTS
ON THE EDGES
I’m a huge fan of ‘80s music. I graduated high school in
1982 so all of this great music was coming out while I was in the prime of my
life (yeah, it’s true, kids – it’s all downhill after you hit 18!). I hold so
much of that music sacred so anytime someone tries to do a cover or create
music influenced by that era, I’m immediately suspect to it and approach with
caution. Most of the time, I’m disappointed by what I hear. The bands are
usually just slick modern pop act who add few synth blips to their predictable Alt-Rock
formula and then proclaim themselves “‘80s influenced.” On the other hand, you have bands like Kites With Lights who bridge the
sounds of then and now successfully. This is synth pop that is heavily
influenced by all the right bands (New
Order, Pet Shop Boys, Human League) but doesn’t sound rooted in any time
period. Yes, the band seems as if they could
have been born out of the Electronic Pop boom of early ‘80s London but I also
hear traces of ‘90s acts like 808 State
and Frazier Chorus as well. There
are also a few moments here that recall Magnetic
Fields’s early albums. Finally, some of this recalls the tender Electronic
Pop of Active Child as well.
I keep referring to Kites With Lights as a
band, this is all actually the work of Atlanta-via-Pittsburgh musician Jonah Cordy. Jonah plays simple, lovely
Synthpop with hushed vocals and arresting melodies that float around inside
your brain for days. Like any good Pop record, seven of the 10 tracks clock in
under three minutes, which means Jonah moves from idea to idea rather quickly,
never overstaying his welcome. “On The Edges,” “Ghost Voices,” “Holding Hearts,”
and “Race To The Other Side” are a few highpoints, but I’ve had different
favorites each time I’ve played the album, and I’m sure those will change each
time I play it in the future. Alas, it’s
over all too soon and I’m left wanting more.
That is what an album is supposed to do.
Thankfully, there’s the 2011 Cosmonauts mini album to keep me and On The Edges company during those long
melancholy nights. (For the record, Cosmonauts
is equally enjoyable and should be snapped up just as quickly as this new
album.) Now, excuse me while I troll the
internet and try to track down anything else by Kites With Lights…
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