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White Light Riot - The Dark Is Light Enough E.P.
By Peter Farrell
When I first caught Minneapolis' White Light Riot last winter, I struck up a conversation with two very inebriated (and very attractive) women from the University of Minnesota. I had asked the girls what to expect from the concert, and Sarah, the taller of the two, squeezed my shoulder and spoke softly, like she was letting an ignorant child in on a wonderful secret: "These guys are gonna blow you away. They play like rock stars. And they're hot."
Granted, Sarah and her friend Elisa might not have been able to provide the best insight into the White Light Riot concert experience, but their general sentiment rang true: the White Light Riot play big, sweeping the room with an energy and enthusiasm that consistently eludes most bands on the Twin Cities music scene.
It's easy to get excited about any number of local bands, but it's often harder to picture those bands moving beyond minor regional success. But the White Light Riot sound, look and feel like they are only a hair's breadth away from a bigger stage and all that comes with it: a major label, a poorly written article in SPIN magazine, and all the other stuff that real rocks stars get, like hookers, blow, a movie star wife and a child named Papaya or some shit with said movie star wife. Okay, I guess I don't know what real rock stars get, but you get the idea: the White Light Riot seem like a band on the verge.
Of course, all this would be frustrating if the band didn't have the songs or stage presence to back up their swagger and style. The band's first recording, "The Dark is Light Enough EP," is a strong modern rock record with a pop edge. The straightforward strut of the lusty "Out of Sight" and the emo-tinged "Bitter Beginning" showcase the band's power, while the group's spaciest excursion, "Tuning Out," finds the group exploring broader soundscapes and successfully avoiding tedium.
The sharp songwriting is buoyed by Erick Applewick's muscular production, which is appropriately reminiscent of Applewick's sonically keen work in his own bands, The Hopefuls and Vicious Vicious. The band made a point of seeking out Applewick's increasingly well regarded sound.
"We tried to figure what bands had the best sounding albums in the Twin Cities, and The Hopefuls album sounded incredible. So we got in touch with Eric and he was interested in our stuff, so we went from there," drummer Mark Schwandt said.
Applewick pushed the band to record quickly. Mark and bassist Dan Larsen laid down their drum and bass parts at the Terrarium in one day, while lead guitarist Joe Christenson and singer/guitarist Mike Schwandt took about two weeks and a half weeks to record their guitar and vocal parts. The band had enough material for a full length, but they decided to hold off and only use their strongest songs on their debut.
And while "The Dark is Light Enough EP" is impressive, it's important to remember that this is still a young band finding its voice. When the local music press initially jumped on the release, the band's sound was frequently compared to current dance-rock darlings Franz Ferdinand and the more ethereal stadium-rock of Coldplay. Schwandt dismissed those comparisons out of hand.
"I think all that is bullshit. I think people take a band they like and apply it to the new bands they like. Of course some of our music is going to come across as dance rock, we have some four on the floor beats in there. But I think we're just in a process of developing a sound that's our own."
The band is already working on its follow up to "The Dark is Light Enough EP," but they want to wait until they have around 30 songs to choose from before they enter the studio again. Schwandt seems confident that the newer material the band is working on is original, and, more importantly, even more cohesive.
"When we write music it's a collaborative effort. We want our sound to develop as a band, because when you listen to us, we want you to know who it is immediately," Schwandt said.
-30-
When I first caught Minneapolis' White Light Riot last winter, I struck up a conversation with two very inebriated (and very attractive) women from the University of Minnesota. I had asked the girls what to expect from the concert, and Sarah, the taller of the two, squeezed my shoulder and spoke softly, like she was letting an ignorant child in on a wonderful secret: "These guys are gonna blow you away. They play like rock stars. And they're hot."
Granted, Sarah and her friend Elisa might not have been able to provide the best insight into the White Light Riot concert experience, but their general sentiment rang true: the White Light Riot play big, sweeping the room with an energy and enthusiasm that consistently eludes most bands on the Twin Cities music scene.
It's easy to get excited about any number of local bands, but it's often harder to picture those bands moving beyond minor regional success. But the White Light Riot sound, look and feel like they are only a hair's breadth away from a bigger stage and all that comes with it: a major label, a poorly written article in SPIN magazine, and all the other stuff that real rocks stars get, like hookers, blow, a movie star wife and a child named Papaya or some shit with said movie star wife. Okay, I guess I don't know what real rock stars get, but you get the idea: the White Light Riot seem like a band on the verge.
Of course, all this would be frustrating if the band didn't have the songs or stage presence to back up their swagger and style. The band's first recording, "The Dark is Light Enough EP," is a strong modern rock record with a pop edge. The straightforward strut of the lusty "Out of Sight" and the emo-tinged "Bitter Beginning" showcase the band's power, while the group's spaciest excursion, "Tuning Out," finds the group exploring broader soundscapes and successfully avoiding tedium.
The sharp songwriting is buoyed by Erick Applewick's muscular production, which is appropriately reminiscent of Applewick's sonically keen work in his own bands, The Hopefuls and Vicious Vicious. The band made a point of seeking out Applewick's increasingly well regarded sound.
"We tried to figure what bands had the best sounding albums in the Twin Cities, and The Hopefuls album sounded incredible. So we got in touch with Eric and he was interested in our stuff, so we went from there," drummer Mark Schwandt said.
Applewick pushed the band to record quickly. Mark and bassist Dan Larsen laid down their drum and bass parts at the Terrarium in one day, while lead guitarist Joe Christenson and singer/guitarist Mike Schwandt took about two weeks and a half weeks to record their guitar and vocal parts. The band had enough material for a full length, but they decided to hold off and only use their strongest songs on their debut.
And while "The Dark is Light Enough EP" is impressive, it's important to remember that this is still a young band finding its voice. When the local music press initially jumped on the release, the band's sound was frequently compared to current dance-rock darlings Franz Ferdinand and the more ethereal stadium-rock of Coldplay. Schwandt dismissed those comparisons out of hand.
"I think all that is bullshit. I think people take a band they like and apply it to the new bands they like. Of course some of our music is going to come across as dance rock, we have some four on the floor beats in there. But I think we're just in a process of developing a sound that's our own."
The band is already working on its follow up to "The Dark is Light Enough EP," but they want to wait until they have around 30 songs to choose from before they enter the studio again. Schwandt seems confident that the newer material the band is working on is original, and, more importantly, even more cohesive.
"When we write music it's a collaborative effort. We want our sound to develop as a band, because when you listen to us, we want you to know who it is immediately," Schwandt said.
-30-