Lights Out Asia – In The Days Of Jupiter
“ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA
ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE”
One of the most memorable quotes from Arthur C Clarke ‘s 2010 Odyssey 2 , the sequel of course to 2001. It’s amazing to think that when that book was first published the year 2010 seemed so distant. Now we’re there. Back in 1982 the idea of a (second) manned mission to Jupiter and its moons (one of which is Europa) seemed plausible enough. Of all the science fiction writers, Clarke was one of the ones with a more scientific background. Yet in truth mankind finds itself half way through the actual 2010 having visited nothing more than our own moon.
I wonder whether such themes resonate within In The Days Of Jupiter? Progress/lack of progress. Lights Out Asia themselves face a tough task as we speak of making progress. Every album of theirs to date has contained something so utterly mind blowing that we writers proclaim it the best thing they’ve ever done. True to form, just minutes into the new album and ‘Except Europa’ sweeps me off my feet. ‘Except Europa’ blazes with the white heat of a rocket fuselage and promises to take us further than we’ve been before. A lot further.
In The Days Of Jupiter is the forth outing for Lights Out Asia and there’s an odd dichotomy at work, at least for me personally. I happen to love a lot of artists who blend electronics with guitars. This time around Lights Out Asia have toned down the guitar content. You notice, if you go looking for it, but honestly, the album sounds so natural, so crafted that I could hardly call it ‘processed’ or ‘mechanical’. ‘13 AM’ is another example of how Lights Out Asia manage to inject real passion, real drama into their work. It just could have done without the annoying phone dial sounds.
‘Great Men From Unhealthy Ground’ is the epic centrepiece here. Beautiful keys emerge from clouds over a full five and a half minutes before the vocal kicks in. You think the whole thing is going to boil over but Lights Out Asia cleverly keep us simmering. ‘Currents Meet The Tide’ is a moment of reflective calm (with a different vocal style to boot) while ‘Then I Hope You Like The Desert’ hits like an electro Mercury Rev .
What a beautiful album. Lights Out Asia have elevated themselves to a higher status. They are now akin to the Black Monolith consciousness of Arthur C Clarke’s universe. Step inside. My God, it’s full of stars.