Seattle Subsonic

Dark Light Is The Labor Of Lovers

October 19th, 2010

From my little knothole, music intelligence seems to flow quite freely between PacNW hubs Seattle and Portland nowadays. Bands from each city frequently pogo back and forth for shows. Blogs and weeklys situated in one cover the scene of the other, and extensively. Musicians commonly relocate from one to the other. All this is to say that very few bands fly under the radar anymore. Except for some; and one I bet you might’ve overlooked in your failed quest for a four leaf clover is the art-electro balladeer triumvirate Lovers, currently heating up the PDX scene. For a band who’ve named themselves after the penultimate human emotion, who carry love as a central lyrical theme, and hail from a town that’s refreshingly simple to love, it’d be a shame not to focus on that one HUGE aspect of their music.

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Originally the brainchild of songwriter/vocalist Carolyn “Cubby” Berk, Lovers has evolved to also include drummer Emily Kingan and synth-maestro/back-up vocalist Kerby Ferris. Dark Light (Badman Recording Co.) is the band’s first release as a trio and its weighty, electro-based love songs will dig right into your heart, powerfully pull the strings, and then stick around long afterward to comfort your pain or conjure your spirit. The phrase ‘dark light’ is one of both hope and despair, and this album balances those two feelings well. The song compositions are protracted and multi-textured, the lyrics are dense, yet still Dark Light manages to be incredibly infectious: the conventional understanding of “catchy” has been completely challenged. This is not a record of dude-centric party-rock, simple pop ditties or even mindless nu-rave—conventional examples, I guess—but an intense emotional roller coaster set upon a warm, oscillating current. It’ll make you sweat, not from glossy dance floor high jinks, but from the goosebumping pinch to your nerves.

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Much of this emotional intensity comes from Berk herself. The group’s main singer is a clever wordsmith (“I make alliances / with the appliances”), a sage storyteller, and an enchanting vocalist. Ferris is her right-hand woman, peppering and painting a harmony-laden, digitized backdrop to Berk’s thought-provoking musings. The triangle is complete with Kingan filling the space using subtle skin strokes, mid-tempo rhythmic structures, and an impressive robotic fluency. Dark Light‘s first track, “Barnacle”, is reminiscent of the Postal Service follow up that never happened, particularly when those hand claps and drum clips catalyze the chorus. “You hold on, dear / like a barnacle on a ship of fears”, Berk imagines over a delicate, hovering keyboard syncopation. “Figure 8″ might be the hit single of the bunch, a real blood-rusher that hearkens back to the dark discos of decades past. Buoyed by Ferris’ MicroKorg rubber band undulation, Berk slyly pokes at religious bigots: “They try to shame us outta lovin, darlin’ / but they don’t pray as hard as I ache”. I guarantee you’ll ache right along with her.

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The album’s centerpiece is the slow-paced groove “Peppermint”, Kingan displaying her hauntological drum skills while Berk offers an alternative to the traditional sense of spirituality: “Redefine god / as something that you want”. As any agnostic can attest, this is a very liberating and moving idea; Berk is fully convinced in her proclamation. The left to right “laser” during the intro sears the ears and is one example of the top notch production bestowed by Badman label owner Dylan Magierek. The ramble of “Boxer” rumbles along, portraying lovers as vagabonds and drifters: “Boxer, don’t knock me down / Writer, don’t write me out / Stranger, let’s not stay estranged / Lover, are we goin’ separate ways? / And don’t I get a say?” Chillwavers will rejoice with “Shepherd of the Stray Hearts”, the one song with a guitar and a killer crescendo. I really have fallen for this album and these ladies, and I see no reason why you won’t too.

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Barnacle

Figure 8

Boxer

Shepherd of the Stray Hearts

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Lovers will be embarking on a US tour this week, and the Seattle stop is this Sunday, October 24th, at the Sorrento Hotel (of all places). It’s free, all ages and will provide quite the glamorous backdrop for these DIY popsters from Portland. It’s okay to be square, just as long as you’re there.

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