Headlights - Some Racing, Some Stopping
Record Label: Polyvinyl Records
Release Date: February 19, 2008
I really thought Headlights would “blow up” in 2006 after their release of their first full length on Polyvinyl, Kill Them With Kindness. Kill Them With Kindness has a wistful indie feel to it that dabbles in the pop realm led by an ultra catchy jingle in the minor blogosphere hit, “TV.” Some could argue they’ve already blown up in certain circles. I know the Youaintnopicasso guy absolutely loves them, and of course the compassed logo that appears on their CD jacket is good for at least a track review over at Pitchfork. Two years past that effort comes the decidedly sweeter Some Racing, Some Stopping.
Like Kill Them With Kindness, Some Racing, Some Stopping features a runaway single in the surefire indie wedding favorite “Cherry Tulips.” The train-like pacing combined with Erin Fein’s dreamy soprano leading and Tristan Wraight’s soft-speak echoing in the background makes it perfect for reception dancing. I underestimated Wraight last time out as being merely an above average backup to Fein, but his boyish tone does so much more this time out. He leads on the acoustic guitar-driven romp “Catch Them All” and the clearly more depressing hush of “January.”
One marked difference from past efforts is the album’s accessibility on the whole. Gone are the dreary interludes and drawn out compositions of Kill Them With Kindness. Yup, Fein and crew have almost fully outgrown their shoegazer roots and successfully bought a home in the pop neighborhood with Some Racing, Some Stopping. As dirty as the "p" word is, it's not always a bad thing.
Its great to see you reviewing again Russ! Good review and it got me to finally check out this band and I like what I am hearing. I hope you continue to do some reviews every once in awhile!
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