If you miss the sound of the hair bands from the 80’s and early 90’s, but really can’t and won’t go back to that lifestyle, not only do I not blame you, but I’m going to help you out. Primetime, the latest release from The Lights Out, has all the qualities of hard rock classics from the pre-grunge era without all the vapid lyrics, drug problems, and VD. That isn’t to say that it sounds outdated, however.
Utilizing the talents of Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, the production blends familiar guitar squeals and monster snare punches with smaller reverberation times and less gated everything to suit our modern sensibilities. Especially appealing is that they’ve managed to capture the fun and energy of a The Lights Out live performance, which you might keep in mind if you are planning a kegger or bat mitzvah, supposing your sister-in-law can stop being a bitch for two minutes and realize what a great fucking idea it is.
The whole affair moves at a pretty brisk pace with a couple of exceptions, the most notable of which being the album close, Having It All, which actually reminds me of Soundgarden. Other tracks you should look out for are Enilyse, a jaunty tune about not being a very good person, and Primetime which I’ve been too busy dancing to to care what it’s about. Be sure to stop in to one of their shows (May 14th at Brighton Music Hall, perhaps?) and pick up a copy! Oh, and if you do, tell ’em Murphy sent you. I’ve always wanted that to happen.
–Charles Murphy