photo by The Ripper
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s selection, featured on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “The Window” by Lux from the 2012 self-released album We Are Not The Same.
Although Seattle band Lux list among their influences bands like Pavement, Velvet Underground, The Magnetic Fields, and The Jesus & Mary Chain, you might find a closer match when listening to today’s featured song with a band that predates some of them... remember “Boy” and “I Touch Roses“? Yeah, Book of Love had their time back in the mid-80′s, but their style of romantic synth pop has not been forgotten. The duo of Leah Rosen and David Chandler combine similar fuzzy electronics, particularly 80′s sounding synths and chimes, with heavily reverbed vocals and candy-pop melodies. Simultaneously dark and sunny, Lux touch on that intersection of innocence and experience, through witty lyrics and bleakly funny song titles like “Coroner’s Office,” “Little Cripple,” and “I’ll Try To Ignore The Fact That You’re Drowning.” On today’s featured song, Rosen takes the lead vocal over a particularly upbeat melody, using a bit of studio magic to harmonize with herself, while Chandler keeps an airy, dance-happy groove. Together, they make “The Window” a perfect fit for your summer mix.
A basement project born out of a Craiglist pairing, Lux have yet to perform live. But if even their heroes like Stephin Merrit and The Magnetic Fields or famously contemptuous The Jesus & Mary Chain can bring themselves before an audience, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be seeing Lux playing on stage. For now, check out the entire album on their Bandcamp page and follow them on Facebook. As a hidden bonus track on their album, Lux covered another one of their influences, Black Tambourine, with this version of “Black Car”:
