Valerie Poxleitner, better known as LIGHTS, is a Canadian recording artist known for her use of synth-pop and love for World of Warcraft. Gaining fans over time from her “Alliance” raids and through interest in her nerdy, adorable personality, LIGHTS has matriculated a strong fan base who appreciate and follow her music closely. However, many fans aren’t feeling strongly about her sophomore record Siberia.
I’ll admit that when I first listened to Siberia, I wasn’t sure what I was listening to. Having been used to the semi-electronic, light synth-pop/acoustic mix of her first album The Listening, I was expecting something similar. Instead, I was greeted by music infused with heavy bass, heavy synth, a rapper, and dubstep-esque downbeats (which LIGHTS herself deemed “dreamstep” via Twitter). At first I was turned off by the idea, but then I found myself pleasantly surprised with the sound. The incorporation of dubstep within the album isn’t overwhelming, and the poppiness of it is fun and energetic.
While there are still some lighter tracks on the album, like “And Counting…”, “Cactus In The Valley”, and “Heavy Rope”, the rest are laced with dubstep beats and strong synthesizers. Electronica band Holy F*ck make a couple appearances on the album, offering different styles of electronica and dubstep. Some tracks have a heavier dubstep feeling, even going as far as having heavy drops, as heard in “Suspension”, “Fourth Dimension”, and the first single “Everybody Breaks a Glass”. Another additional element (which can be heard on the first single) are the vocals from Canadian rapper Shad, who also appears on the track “Flux and Flow”. While the inclusion of rap seems strange, there’s no denying how well the vocals flow with the music and how the lyrics match with the meaning of the song. It creates a different kind of feeling on the tracks, offering a change amongst the dancey songs on the album.
While I can see where fans are coming from in saying that LIGHTS has “sold-out” or “completely changed” musically due to the dubstep and rap elements, I don’t believe she’s changed lyrically. Still producing and writing her own songs, LIGHTS has always written fun and meaningful songs. This written root hasn’t changed and can be seen throughout the album, like in the song “Banner” with the lyrics “No weapon can sever the soul from me. Not the sorceress, not the money, all my cleverness, all my cunning.” LIGHTS also continues to convey her vulnerability to her fans, as heard in the album’s most personal track “Cactus In The Valley”. Probably the strongest song she has written so far, “Cactus In The Valley” truly shows fans the talent of LIGHTS as a singer/songwriter and proves that she hasn’t strayed far from her roots. Overall, Siberia isn’t a sellout. It isn’t another sophomore slump by a struggling artist. It’s the growth, ideas, and experiments of an artist who stays true to her fans. Pick up a copy of Siberia now and appreciate the art created by LIGHTS herself.