Watching a musical group mature is a distinct pleasure. I’d missed Fuzzy Lights’ self-released 3” cd-r, In Silence We Weep, when it was released in 2004, but was lucky enough to come across their untitled 3-track EP in late 2006. Their blend of Americana and post-rock was languid and stirring, illumined by a dusty sunbeam of violin shining through the rafters of guitar. In late 2007, the group reemerged with “Snowstorm in a Snow Globe,” the opening track of Lo:AF’s holiday compilation, That Fuzzy Feeling. This time out, the group impressed with a plaintive bell placed gently in a post-rock manger, as if by three wise men (in this case, four wise men and a woman). Finally, in the waning weeks of 2008, Fuzzy Lights released their debut album, A Distant Voice, seemingly oblivious to the sound of year-end lists whipping in the winter wind.
One might fault Fuzzy Lights’ marketing plan, save for the fact that they create cold weather music. While they hail from Cambridge, their closest companion in timbre and tone is Canada’s Do Make Say Think, which makes sense in terms of climate. This is the music of log cabins, of hooded parkas and the stamping of boots; music for hardwood chairs, crackling logs and bear skin rugs: thermal music, music that warms the body like a steaming mug of coffee with a shot of whiskey added.
The album’s new trick pony is crescendo: while previous recordings made the heart beat faster, A Distant Voice makes the pulse race. This compositional change is foreshadowed in the opening seconds of “Blackout II” with a crash of thunder, which reverberates for over a minute, fading into a mournful violin passage. “Blackout II” revises 2006’s “Blackout” by bolstering the melodium’s counterpart role and by adding a Juno organ undercurrent that sounds pleasingly like theremin.
By “Capturing Shadows,” first the guitars, then the drums, decide that they are quite tired of being in the background, and step forth to converse with the violin. A loose, slightly improvised feel adds to the growing, squelch-dipped energy. At the five-minute mark, when all the other instruments take a breather, the strength of the bass becomes apparent as well.
“Eastern Winds” begins with a surprisingly effective Hecker-like drone. A vaguely Middle Eastern vibe develops, eventually dissipating like a camel in a sandstorm. “Reflective Surfaces” shimmers like its title for a minute and a half before giving way to a buoyant, wordless, three-note melody, traded back and forth between singers and guitars.
Tracks five and six echo a recent Do Make Say Think move: the addition of vocals. Fans are still split on the wisdom of this decision on Do Make Say Think’s last album. Some call it a welcome step forward, others an unnecessary distraction. I fall into the latter camp, both there and here. The singing is fine and the lyrics are okay, but the placement of these tracks in the center of the album is distracting; after 20 minutes, we’ve settled in and are simply not prepared.
The one-two punch of “Bells Chiming in an Empty House” and “Something to Do With Light” is a much better place to pick up the thread. “Bells” is in essence a three-minute warm-up session for a two-minute jam. I would have preferred the numbers to have been reversed, because “Light” is the album’s high point, the track on which all the stops are pulled out. Ironically, “Light” features the prominent use of bells, while “Bells” does not. A little more development – a trough and an additional plateau – would have sent the song into the stratosphere.
The album closes with “(When We Reached the) Mountain Top,” which is better than its clichéd title implies. Those expecting further crescendos at this point will be disappointed; this is more the sound of looking out over the world from a snowy peak, catching one’s breath, snapping a photograph and reflecting on what one has accomplished. The violin makes a final visit, a fine ending to the tale.
The years leading up to Fuzzy Lights’ debut have been well-spent, and A Distant Voice is a solid achievement. The only question seems to be whether the group will embrace or reject the use of vocals. Their choice will determine how they are regarded here at TSB. My advice for Fuzzy Lights, if you’re reading: learn from Do Make Say Think’s mistake, and play to your strengths. In other words, as your album title itself seems to counsel, keep the voices distant.
-Richard Allen