[rating=6.00]
Often peppy, never dull, and at times ambitiously prolific, Bishop Allen are back after a long (for them, at least) five year hiatus. In that interim, the band members worked on film and television scores, copiously demoed tracks, and left behind their longtime Brooklyn surroundings for a fresh start amongst the lush greenery of upstate Kingston, New York. It’s that mantra of renewal and accepting new challenges that stands at the forefront of this new album, titled Lights Out, out now on the Dead Oceans label.
The lead track, appropriately named “Start Again”, echoes the restlessness and longing for change that Justin Rice and Co. may have been feeling. Over a syncopated breezy beat, the song ambles through as a mantra to change and a paean to reinventing oneself in the shape one hopes to occupy. (“If you wanna go alone/If you wanna see it through/If you really need to know/I’m tellin’ you”). Like much of their work, there are not a lot of deep sentiments being shared or illuminating concepts being pondered. What makes Bishop Allen’s music work, and particularly Lights Out’s standout tracks (“Crows”, “No Show”, and “Good Talk”) are the infectious grooves and catchy melodies that stick in your brain and brighten the corners. It’s a happy sound, one that keeps heads bobbing, the mood light and things pleasant. The band’s aesthetic at times rings a bit like that of New Pornographers or Vampire Weekend, but comes forth in a more subdued DIY-style than those slightly more bombastic contemporaries, with Rice’s vocals delivered in quipped and succinct flurries, and the instrumental adornments chirping and whirling around with casual and nuanced precision.
To mix things up, Lights Out also places Darbie Nowatka’s vocals front and center on “Black Hole” and the album-closing “Shadow”, two tracks that expertly change the pace and offer a dreamy evocation of ‘60’s haziness and nostalgia. It’s a nice step for Bishop Allen and hints at perhaps another avenue to explore on their ever-evolving and busily channeled career path. Chances are high that it won’t be another five year wait for the next release.
