HEADLIGHTS
"Some Racing, Some Stopping"
Released: Feb. 19, 2008
Genre: Indie, Pop, Rock

Official Site, MySpace, Wikipedia

When the darlings of your local scene give up on their ambition and present a patchwork of unoriginal influences in its place, it’s a bit of a disappointment, no matter how pretty or fluid the result.

THE PHOENIX THAT rose from the ashes of C-U favorites Absinthe Blind, Headlights have always been at an advantage.

The band’s booking company, Nicodemus Agency, is headed up by Seth Fein — the brother of singer Erin Fein. Seth left his job as a columnist for Buzz to focus on expanding Nicodemus, and since then, the agency has played an integral part in the rising popularity of Headlights.

It is thanks to Nicodemus that Headlights have toured the world, pioneered the blossoming Pygmalion Music Festival, and enjoyed a position alongside beacons of the underground such as Stars of the Lid.

Of course, the fact that they’ve been signed to Polyvinyl Record Co. for the duration of their career doesn’t hurt either — their presence on Polyvinyl affords them distribution powers equal to those of of Montreal and Architecture in Helsinki.

But have Headlights truly lived up to these privileges, given to them (at least in part) because they are from the right town, and have the right connections?

Their new album, “Some Racing, Some Stopping,” may help answer that question.

This record was born of novel circumstances; all the members of Headlights moved into guitarist Tristan Wraight’s farmhouse during the spring of 2007, entrenching themselves in the creative process for months.

These writing conditions stood in sharp contrast with their previous ones; touring constantly had caused their writing to be fragmented, but now they could take their time and compose with a concerted effort. As a result, Headlights believe that they made significant improvements in their music during this period.

Because all the writing and recording was done at the band’s own pace, Wraight says that Headlights were able to “trim the fat and make a much more focused, concentrated, cohesive record.” Essentially, the band members had the time and the means to create exactly what they wanted.

While it’s true that the record is consistent, cohesive, and relatively simple, the idea that this should satisfy Headlights and their listeners (who are already hailing “Some Racing” as a potential breakout for the group) is of concern to me. Yes, the album is pleasant, tender, and well-arranged … but is that enough?

My instinct is to say no.

Headlights began their career with the same undeniable aptitude for catchy pop hooks that they have now, but they approached their music from an ambitious shoegaze angle, utilizing extensive synth and other electronics to create the genre-defining wall of sound.

Now, Headlights’ work is nothing but standard indie pop with some particularly saccharine, airy, and fuzzy touches. In lieu of shoegaze, they’re producing “sugar and gauze.”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but for me it’s a sign that Headlights have become complacent. They have decided to err on the side of accessibility, and are content with being just good enough. And when the darlings of your local scene give up on their ambition and decide to create a patchwork of unoriginal influences in its place, it’s a bit of a disappointment, no matter how pretty or fluid the result is.

Indeed, certain parts of “Some Racing” are so banal it makes me cringe. For instance, the entire chorus of the closing track, “January,” is comprised of the phrase “time just marches on,” as if that wasn’t one of the most clichéd concepts in existence.

And the title track could have been composed with the poetic capacity of a sixth grader. It opens with the line “I am a heart” (don’t try too hard on the symbolism there, guys) and progresses to “With your heart on your sleeve, there’s no secrets you can keep” (yes, I thought that was the point of having your heart on your sleeve, but maybe I’ve been missing something). And to top all that off, there’s a steady, clucking beat that permeates the song, obviously intended to recall a heart’s pulse. It’s as though Headlights sat around in their farmhouse asking each other, “What can we do to make this song even more trite, to the point of insulting the intelligence of our fans?”

Even the music video for the album’s first single, “Cherry Tulips,” has some irritatingly plagiaristic touches (though that is to be attributed to director Julian Acosta rather than to the band). The fact that Erin Fein sounds — and sort of looks — like Leslie Feist doesn’t help to disguise the similarities between the “Cherry Tulips” video and that of Feist’s “Mushaboom.” Stylistically, the videos are quite different from each other, but they share key devices such as self-moving furniture and spontaneous levitation of the singer.

All of these aspects of the album and its related media are disappointing, and frankly, rather embarrassing. However, I want to be clear that there are notable positives to this record.

First of all, this is the first album Headlights have released with their new members, Nick Sanborn (Decibully) and John Owen (Shipwreck). Their instruments (bass/accordion and guitar, respectively) add a consistent, physical sort of depth to the record, something Headlights may have been lacking before.

Additionally, the arrangements within the songs are very crisp; Headlights have developed a keen sense of where to transition between parts of a song so as to allow the listeners’ ears a break, but to not develop into filler.

Even so, it disappoints me that Headlights chose to take their music in the direction they did. They have a lot of potential, and I would like to love “Some Racing, Some Stopping.” But under their recent circumstances, Headlights really should have been able to come up with something more inspired.

HEADLIGHTS VIDEO: "CHERRY TULIPS"

Note: This video was posted on YouTube by the group's record company, Polyvinyl Record Co.