December 09, 2004

Headlights "The Enemies"

Born from the ashes of the late, great (and criminally ignored) Absinthe Blind, Headlights offer themselves to you with a humble, mail-order only release, entitled The Enemies. If you loved Absinthe Blind--or are simply in love with gorgeous atmospheric rock--then Headlights will be a surprise treat for you....but not really, because The Enemies isn't that different from their Absinthe Blind days. Personally, I'm glad they're still making music; Rings should have been their breakthrough...but, alas, it went ignored, and the band quietly (and probably quite frustratingly) disbanded.

"Tokyo" starts the EP off with a bit of noise, but then it takes a turn for the country, with some really nice, gentle guitars and the gorgeous boy/girl vocal exchange between Tristan Wraight and Erin Fein. In between the gentle vocals and guitars, though, are little twitches of feedback and washes of beautiful atmospherics, very similar to Rings. "Centuries" is a rather upbeat rocker, too; it's minus the shimmering sheets of sound, but it still sounds real good. "Everybody Needs a Fence to Lead On" is the record's highlight, starting off with some drop-dead gorgeous vocals from Erin which then turns into an upbeat pop song with that excellent boy/girl lyrical exchange. "It Isn't Easy to Live That Well" closes the record, and even though it's probably the weakest song on the record, Erin's singing is nice and the music is engaging--I love their use of vibes.

So welcome to the world, Headlights! Very rarely does a four-song EP make a stunning impression, but The Enemies certainly leaves me wanting more. It's a really nice little start, and here's hoping you talented folk get the recognition Absinthe Blind always deserved.

--Joseph Kyle

Artist Website: http://www.headlightsmusic.com
Label Website: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com

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