Album Review: Lights - Siberia

Lights - Siberia

If you haven't heard of Lights, you won't be alone. Unless you saw Owl City's 2010 tour of the UK or Europe or you caught debut UK single Saviour on a music channel eighteen months or so ago, it's unlikely that you will have come across Valerie Poxleitner, better known to fans as Lights.

Siberia is the 24 year olds second full album after 2010's The Listening, a record which I really liked. While The Listening was primarily gently, Owl City-esque electro-pop, Lights has taken a leap with a more mature, eclectic and polished second album.

Single Toes is a terrific pop record, the anthemic Banner is superb while rapper Shad adds some meat to the great Everybody Breaks A Glass. I really like Lights when she takes a more reflective approach, however, and both Heavy Rope and Cactus in the Valley are lovely, sweet pop songs.

I have a bizarre and unexplained penchant for Canadian singer songwriters and Lights joins a long list that stretches from Alanis Morrisette to Jann Arden, Amanda Marshall and Chantal Kreviazuk. Siberia is totally different to any record produced by those other artists, however, and is a great example of how to make quality, melodic electric pop music. A fine follow-up to a great first album.