Review Summary: "Only a spark, gone in a moment". But boy is that moment a good one.
Allow me to attempt an paint you a picture. I'm with my girl at a Lights concert at the 9:30 club and she is obsessed with this singer. I'm indifferent and I am just there for her, but I am always curious of the bands that open for the main act. Here steps out this group of people who seem a little more older than typical guys and girls in bands of this nature. I kind of wrote them off without really giving it much thought but to my surprise it turns out they were a lot better than I gave them credit for.
They start off with a lot of energy and begin the song "Silhouette" which has some fantastic snyth beats. Which I can only assume is about missing somebody. But the song is catchy. Running at 45 minutes this album comes through as an enjoyable ride. Its the closest to actually being pop nowadays without actually quite being pop. The singer has a nice voice reminiscent of Madonna, but puts her own little twist on it. The beats are all very consistent and upon continued listening I could not find a song that I did not like off of this album. Everything seemed to come out so bright and fun. Her voice was infectious and peaceful. I was digging a lot of the tracks. Some of the best tracks are "Silhouette", "Spark", and "I'm In Love With My Life" just to name a few. They all follow a similar trend, the catchy, rhythmic beats of the songs followed by a complimentary female vocals. The best way I can sum up the tracks off this album is that it leaves a pretty good taste in my mouth. There is a bit of range in the caliber of songs here, and the base line here is that it is enjoyable. Positive undertones, and just feeling good is the message here. The song "I'm In Love With My Life" is about just being happy and say forget all those things that bring you down. Forget about it, and try to enjoy your situation best you can. There are good times out there in front of us, and someday, maybe soon we will make it to them. The best part of this song is that instead of the girl singing it is instead a male that really adds a nice effect to the song, there is an echo and the girl "Z Berg" is doing the chorus of the song. It is an interesting switch and dynamic that really works out well. The only downside is that I wish they had utilized that dynamic more. The rest of the album rolls out very nicely, it was only towards the end with the last two or three songs in which my attention began to fade, which in all honesty is quite an accomplishment. There's bound to be some sort of filler on an album and I have come to terms with that.
If there is one song that you have to hear by this band it is definitely the track entitled "Spark". During the performance the band had asked to turn on the flashlights on our phones and wave them. I thought it was asinine. But to my surprise I had looked back from the front row and it was incredible being mixed with the song. It is an image that has really stuck with me since then. The song "Spark" really is there most motivating song. It is about seizing life, living through the moment, because the future is uncertain and we have to learn to enjoy things while they last. The chorus may be the best part of the song, but its complimented by the verses themselves. It tells us of the darkness that lies before us, we may worry about what could have been in the now, but soon after it will all be a distant memory and we will be able to move on. It gave me a better appreciation for some things. Its a sweet little song, but at the end of the day this album is filled with a bunch of sugary songs that actually leave a good taste in your mouth. Some stick longer than others, but others just kind of fade away, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Overall, I was fairly pleased with this album in its entirety. I could see myself picking up a physical copy of this album and just waiting a few years and listening to it to reminisce about the fun I had. "Phases" really have figured out the formula for pairing catchy beats with catchy vocals. The whole album is just a sweet treat. I recommend it. 3.5/5
