League Of Lights - Dreamers Don't Come Down (Album Review)

Farrah and Richard West (Threshold/AudioPlastik) aka League Of Lights refused to let the pandemic stunt their musical growth. Their 2019 album ‘In The In Between’ had received positive reviews and they planned to tour the record in 2020…Needless to say, a rethink was required and the unexpected result is ‘Dreamers Don’t Come Down’ a terrific record that artfully blends elements of 80s pop-rock, electronica and progressive/art rock without missing a beat. The reason I say unexpected is ‘In The In Between’  emerged eight years after their debut album, a gap of Def Leppardian proportions, so League of Lights are seemingly on a creative roll and keen to make up for lost time.

League Of Lights storm out of the gate with the punchy, hook-laden ‘Modern Living’ which in another world would have chart hit written through it like a stick of seaside rock. Blessed with a full, thick sound, edgy distorted bass and textured guitar lines reminiscent of Gene Black’s work on the sole 80s album from Device ‘22B3’, ‘Modern Living’ is a pleasingly forceful statement of intent as it successfully marries the modern with an 80s retro aesthetic. Next up is ‘Twenty Twenty One’ which although penned in 2019 now seems somewhat prophetic as Farrah’s voice floats ethereally over a bed of pulsing synths and warm bass notes while Richard’s piano adds colour. The quiet moments here evoke ambient memories of prime Vangelis or as Richard puts it “We wanted it to be more piano-driven than our previous release and deliberately utilised a smaller pallet of sounds. We had just recorded the song ‘Modern Living’ and that helped to define how our new material would sound - more open than before with less synths and more space for Farrah's voice to really lift off. It's as much about the space as it is about the notes”.

‘Ghosts’ and ‘I Still Remember’ feel like a pair of songs that complement each other perfectly. ‘Ghosts’ is more driven, more insistent, more rhythmic “They tear my soul and build my hopes. Where would I be without these ghosts” Farrah sings as ambient verses give way to an upbeat chorus while the slowly escalating, piano-driven ‘I Still Remember’ is just lovely, filled with heart and compassion that puts a positive spin on the feelings of regret we all harbour for people we used to know and care about. Speaking from personal experience, it’s always best to remember the good times. ‘Persephone’ cleverly disguises titular references to death; wife of Hades, ruler of the Underworld etc. under a veil of drums and twinkling synths. The intricate vocal harmonies on the breakdown are especially fine.

‘Dreamers’ is another lovely example of Richard’s soundscapes ebbing and flowing as Farrah’s gossamer-thin vocal floats over and between the musical notes. It’s worth highlighting the construction of the backing vocal harmonies on ‘Dreamers’ as they are beautifully layered. ‘With You’ is unashamedly pop (no bad thing) with its straight-up rhythm track and treated vocal sounding like a Kylie hit in waiting. ‘Lines In The Sand’ is a slight oddity here (it’s the oldest song included on the album) and finds Farrah utilizing a range of vocal inflexions while Richard channels his inner Burt Bacharach with some strident piano chords. It works but is less immediate than much of what has gone before. ‘The Collector’ might well be the perfect example of the League Of Lights’ in 2021 as driving rhythms and cascading piano combine to startling effect. It’s one of many examples on the album where Richard’s background in progressive rock comes to the fore giving the arrangement light and flow. Those bass notes on the verses are just a small example of how taking a little extra care with the construction and arrangement of the songs pays dividend as further evidenced by ‘North Of The Sun’ a lyrical ray of positivity that builds to a crescendo before gently faded away from whence it came.

The album concludes with ‘Echoes Of A Dream’ a very clever idea that I won’t spoil here. ‘Dreamers Don’t Come Down’ sounds and feels like an album of pop music made by adults for adults and Farrah and Richard do a great job of bringing their thoughts, feelings and musical influences together perfectly. I’ll leave it to Farrah for some final thoughts on ‘Dreamers Don’t Come Down’ “it is about the past, the present and the future; about taking the best from all that you have been through, the pressures of modern life and keeping your dreams alive in dark times.”

Additional League Of Lights coverage @RGM

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