U Weekly. Serving The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio

Turn on the party Lights

An interview with the psychedelic dance outfit Lights

By Nick Schwab

Lights is a band that knows what they want out of life. As if going by the motto, "Live life how you want," they are all about the sense of fun.

"We all like to party and have a good time," said Lights drummer/vocalist Linnea Vedder. "It's fun to have people dancing." It is this sense of cutting loose and getting groovy that makes Lights' sound so alluring. Their music navigates a spread of psych, pop, dance, funk and even disco. It is the perfect music to play with strobe lights and a disco ball at the center of the room, being both far out and psychogenic.

Lights act as a descendent of a time when Saturday Night Fever and Flashdance were "The Fonz" of the age. The act also gives it a much more modern spin that makes it both an artifact and also a non-pastiche follower of what that era should resemble - as in not a series of corny hand motions, platform shoes and three-piece suits. Rather, it unites the real ideals and the neon-lighted atmosphere of a party.

"I don't know if I would call it retro, but we are definitely into listening to music from the past and incorporating that," Vedder said, then later spoke about dance music's sometimes-bad rep. "I don't think just because a song is danceable it's corny. There is definitely some non-danceable music that's corny."

On their second album, "Rites," Vedder hopes people get a very happy experience from the album. She also noted that there are many different types of emotions that make an enjoyable and relaxing time. "I also think it's an album that is not really background noise, it's very intricate," she said. "People can have a good time listening to it, but if they want to pay more attention, they can get a lot out of the richness in detail."

On such songs as the lush and tangible "Heavy Drops," there's a heavy attention to choruses and pop dynamics. As Vedder explained, "To me, catchiness just means reliability." Then she continued, "The listener is able to quickly attach themselves to a melody or the lyric and really relate quickly. It sticks in your head."

A sense of outer-body experience is also relevant to their sound and live shows. As Vedder explained, "Live performance is so exciting. If you are in the right place with yourself, and the audience is in the right place, you can go on a journey together. Bring a physical and mental self into this place. It's pretty non-specific, but we take the audience on an energetic journey."

The journey can be said to move from the polar reaches of the earthbound to the empyreal with Lights' sound of alien dance music. Although Vedder says she is inspired by any number of genres, including even metal and the catchiness of Tom Petty or Stevie Nicks, Lights' manner feels more spacey then those progenitors.

When she talked about why she makes the kind of music that she makes, Vedder said, "I think it is a form of understanding myself and the world around me," She added, "The songs are about written about experiences from our lives, either literally or the psychedelic experiences of everyday life."

So what specifically do these life experiences entail? She expanded, "Part of that is emotion. Music helps me get to a more psychedelic place. It focuses me into the moment of another dimension."

So with a manner of otherworldliness to their brew of dance-pop, Lights display a heart as well as a knack for landscapes, and inspiring hip-motion.

Lights will play at the Summit on Feb. 3.

Originally Published: February 3, 2010

↑ Back to the top