Lamplight

I guess there's probably something a little serendipitous about the fact that I (and others) attended the album launch of a local group named Lamplight on the same evening as the notorious Earth Hour. I imagine there were, in fact, many people who purpetrated activities by lamplight that night. But how many of these lamps emitted enthused orchestral progressive folk rock? I dare say very few.

The group themselves were quite something, although I recommend their live set over the album they were launching (despite the gorgeous cd case, made entirely out of varnished wood). I say this not only because frontman Mijo Biscan makes for a charmingly informal spectacle, cracking wise with a goofy grin and giving bandmates elaborate high fives, nor because violinst Indiana Avent is simply SEX IN A DRESS, but because Lamplight have a rampant energy on the stage that can't be gleamed through studio work.

Which is not to say the music is ever really bad. The talent here can't hide - songwriting and arranging seen on Selftitled/Untitled has a sophistication not given to almost any other Melbourne bands, and there's a genuine joy that can be taken from knowing that young people don't need to haplessly hire old hands to do their fancy pants string and horn arrangements for them. At the same time, there's a raw power that was wielded by these young people when I saw them live at certain points in their performance that is just not matched at those same points in the recorded counterparts. Call it just one of those things.

Nonetheless, I heartily recommend this innovative quintet for those who are fans of contemporary Australian music. I predict they will be a steady force in the scene for a while now. (If you are heading to Europe over the next few months, I believe they are doing an informal tour there).