Sonic Level: Lights Out Asia

"...Infusing the sensibilities of indie rock, moody electronics and dream pop into cinematic spaces..." Did someone just described everything I like in music? Almost. Actually, it is a short statement made by members of Lights Out Asia, about their music ambitions. As simple as the webiste they come from, these words speak for themselves.

A ridiculous yet inventive band name explains it double: these guys know how to play spacy music. It's so-called ambient, downtempo, dream-pop or shoegaze, but frankly, the key is space; a calm, relaxing, uplifting mood that occasionally turns into weird, synthetic vocalisations. Lights Out Asia does not pretend to sound natural, so maybe they aren't 'ambient' band at all, but in their hands, the overflowing electronics are turning into top-class soundscapes.

Did I forget to mention? Oh, yes I did. LOA consists of two former members of Aurore Rien: an old and currently inactive post-rock outfit. To be more specific, there are Chris Schafer and Mike Ystad, who still play music despite their previous band crash. As one of the Last.fm users pointed out "These guys are clearly more talented and interesting than a lot of similar projects with way more listeners. Strange."

Lights Out Asia - Psiu! Puxa!