Album songs：
Album Intro：
You've certainly accomplished something if you make pop-rock unappealing. Normally, with pop records, you can expect soaring choruses, huge hooks and airtight production. Even the most embarrassing and scene bands can create songs that are irresistibly infectious (i.e. Forever The Sickest Kids' 「Woah Oh!」). However, The Bigger Lights' debut album falls well short of genre norms. While the production is there, the hooks and overall appeal is not. Ultimately, the band's effort is well below the average pop album. For those looking for good pop-rock or a fun guilty pleasure, look elsewhere; The Bigger Lights' self-titled effort is definitely not what you are looking for.
While the band shows some potential, they deviate little from a standard formula, therefore creating a very generic and plastic record. The album's opening track, 「That Kind of Girl」, is misleading; it is not an indicator to come. This opener turns out to be one of the lone bright spots, sporting an okay hook and catchy chorus. Other decent tracks include 「What About Us」 and the previously released 「Queen Of Broken Hearts.」 They are not pop perfection, but they do demonstrate the band's potential to write solid songs. Aside from these offerings, the rest of the record is the epitome of mediocre. They are highly forgettable and do little to distinguish themselves from one another. The hooks and choruses are not grand enough to draw in the audience. In addition, the lyrics are exceptionally trite, relating atypical song topics such as summer, women and partying. The Bigger Lights do try to branch out with the ballad 「Always」. However, the ballad lacks lyrical prowess and impressive vocals. Like the rest of the album, the song is a below average attempt. In the subsequent track, 「Get Lost」, The Bigger Lights continues the ill-advised pop trend of namedropping cities. While it is comforting that the band knows their geography, the lyrics seem like filler and are about as shallow as they come.
The banality of the record stems directly from lead singer Topher Talley. His vocals prohibit The Bigger Lights from taking off. In the beginning of the record, Talley's voice is tolerable. However, he maintains a similar pitch and tone in every song. By the end of the album, one will have felt like he or she had heard the same song over and over again. In the future, Talley needs to some variance in order to avoid this monotony. Especially in ballads such as 「Always」 and 「Skinny Jeans」, Talley should really showcase his ability. In a genre that contains a glut of similar bands, a band needs to be special to stand out, and having strong vocals is usually a nice place to start.
As stated earlier, the production is rock solid throughout The Bigger Lights and creates a nice tight sound. But overall, this self-titled effort just demonstrates that band has a good deal of maturing to do. While there are some positives that can be derived from the record, the simplistic lyrics and the vocals leave a lot to be desired. The band has an ability to create a nice pop groove but need the other aforementioned elements to solidify their tricks. The tools are there for the band to succeed, but at the moment they have yet to cultivate it.
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