When we first heard the opening tracks to Champaign, Illinois indie pop band Headlights, we thought, ‘wow, this is great stuff.’ The more we play it here in the cafe, the more we like it. And so do many other people.
We are guilty of not knowing about Headlights prior to their latest 2008 release, Some Racing, Some Stopping, the follow-up to their 2006 debut Kill Them With Kindness.
But it wasn’t really until this year’s album that the band got on serious mojo from not just the blogs, but the mainstream music press as well. Spin magazine recently hailed the band’s new album: “”Calling Headlights “nice” sounds like a backhanded compliment, but Some Racing wears the tag proudly: It’s charming, but never boring.”
That’s so true. Headlights are definitely one of the ‘break-through’ bands of 2008. Their inspired sound is full of blissful choruses that are uplifting coupled with pop jams that seem relentless. The talented band members include Erin Fein (vocals and keyboards), Brett Sanderson (drums) and Tristan Wraight (vocals, guitar and bass).
Headlight’s sound is unquestionably pop. But there are variances of interwoven elements that add extra layers of flavor and richness to their songs. The songs feature all kinds of instruments, including organs, keyboards, bells, tambourines and an array of strings, as represented on tracks such as “Towers” and “Get Your Head Around It,” the latter song having been featured in the thirteenth installment of this blog’s Best Indie Rock Songs of 2008 series.
The song “School Boys” exemplifies indie pop in a celebratory orchestra-infused fashion, moving along merrily while maintaining a discipline that ultimately makes it one of the best songs on the album. The pace livens even more in the next upbeat song, and one of their standout tracks, “Cherry Tulips” (watch video below).
Some people have said that Headlights is comparable to bands like Arcade Fire, Stars, Rilo Kiley and Belle and Sebastian. While true in some respects, it is still far from pinning the essence of a sound that is pretty much original.
An example of this would be the tracks “Get Year Head Around It” and has a driving, jangly feel that you want to keep going on and on. “Catch Them All” is one of the album’s best tracks (listen below). If there is one downfall it is that the songs could be longer. Headlights makes awesome pop tunes full of personality, excitement and hooks that we find ourselves wishing would keep parading for five or six minutes.
You know that feeling, when you’re listening to a great song and it winds down sooner than you want it to and you are like, “no man, keep that shit going.” And if you are like that when you listen to Headlights, there’s a remedy. The band has released a clever album of remixes, oddly titled Remixes, a few months ago featuring some of their best songs from their latest album and previous releases.
Headlights is the real deal, especially for fans of indie pop who enjoy the ‘feel good’, dreamy type of sprawling and enthusiastic music that has become so popular
in recent years.
Music critic Tim Sendra of the All Music Guide put Headlights up near the top, writing recently: “There are a lot of bands playing indie pop in 2008, but very few do it as well as Headlights do on Some Racing, Some Stopping.”
There are albums that get spun over and over again at the café. Some Racing, Some Stopping is definitely one of them. Even more, it is likely to become a must-have release for indie pop music enthusiasts in the years to come.
“Get Your Head Around It” – Headlights
“Catch Them All” – Headlights
Visit Headlights’ MySpace page
Buy Headlights’ records and merchandise from their label site at http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/store/