ireland
State Magazine (14 January 2009)
8 March 2013
ALBUM REVIEW: London, England by The Lightyears – 4/5
14 January 2009
Phil Udell, State Magazine, Ireland
When The Feeling made the graduation from playing covers in bars in the Alps to becoming the soft rock band of choice, it was three-piece The Lightyears who filled the gap. Now on their second album, the experience is long behind them but like their predecessors, the importance of making their own material as memorable as possible has hit home. The good news is that they’ve become more focused than in the past, less likely to sound like a bizarre compilation of different acts. They’re at their best making bright and breezy pop in the Jellyfish mould, tracks such as ‘Emily’ and ‘Sleepless’ floating along on a wave of harmony-filled choruses and rolling pianos. ‘This House Will Burn’, meanwhile, sounds like Babyshambles with less drugs and better manners.
The Lightyears still can’t help themselves though and feel the need to push off in different directions, fortunately not without some success. The clunky ‘She’s The One’ and ‘Filmstar’ aside, their attempts at a harder, more rock edge work well, especially the opening instrumental ‘Firefly’ and the short, Beatles-y ‘That Was Us’.
The grandeur of the album title never really translates itself into the album itself – and lyrics about Primrose Hill and the Tube can be a bit grating – but on ‘England’ they reach for epic and manage to pull it off. In a world of passing fashion, fake credibility and media hype, The Lightyears are able to stand out for all the right reasons, but that might just make their task all the harder.
New album reviewed live on Irish radio
16 January 2009
Our new album’s being reviewed today on Phantom 105.2 FM in Dublin.
State Magazine’s Phil Udell will being discussing his thoughts on London, England live in the studio with “Front Row” presenter Sinead Ni Mhordha at around 1pm.
Listeners outside Ireland can tune in at Phantom’s website – click here to visit www.Phantom.ie.
Lightyears Tour Diary published in national press
10 November 2008
One of Chris Lightyear’s tour diaries has been published in national music magazine State. The article is taken from Chris’ tales of daring and disaster in the Alps in 2006, when The Lightyears undertook a 14-date tour of French ski resort Meribel.
State is Ireland’s foremost free music monthly. The entire November issue can be read online at www.State.ie and you’ll find Chris’ contribution on page 8. Expect harrowing stories of midnight projectile vomiting and scaling blizzard-battered mountains in an ageing Vauxhall Omega.
The Lightyears also achieved front page coverage on the State website this month for their contribution to the 2008 US Presidential Election – the biting, satirical uber-work Obama Republic. Think 2001: A Space Odyssey – but with more plastic wrestlers.
