SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LIGHTNING BUG – NO PARADISE

LIGHTNING BUG
NO PARADISE
INDEPENDENT

The band Lightning Bug is back with their newest LP, No Paradise. It’s crazy to think it’s been nearly three years since their previous album, A Color Of The Sky. What’s crazier is the wonder of why we haven’t seen more of them. While it has some minor flaws, No Paradise stands as their most well-done and soothing albums yet.

The opener of this album, “On Paradise”, drumming wisely, lyrically, and vocally, does a few things that instantly stand out. Firstly, the vocals here are serene and beautifully delicate in how low and high they can get near instantaneously. Though this quickening of change can slightly make the vocals less impactful, as if they work more for all that is going on in the track rather than feeling natural, this is a very minor issue. Secondly, the lyrics are flowing. Now what I mean by “flowing”, to be more direct, is in how they sound rather than on their own. On their own, the lyrics are quite passive and help to capture the vocals’ peaceful nature. The lyrics in the song flow, though they feel purposeless. Looking into them, they are quite well done and mysterious in nature. The lyrics, simply put, feel almost solely like a vessel for the vocals, without standing on their own. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and upon examining them, they are well written—it is just something of note for No Paradise. Thirdly, the drumming here can become slightly distracting. While this is a bit more apparent in tracks like “The Quickening”, here it still shows, albeit slightly. There are multiple points where drumming will suddenly occur, and instead of heightening the track, it almost feels thrown in and useless.

Overall, despite all said here, No Paradise has much to offer, including commanding and awe-inspiring vocals and, usually, nice use of production, with the gloomy yet hopeful atmosphere being nicely captured and well-written songwriting, The flaws mentioned here seem so minor by comparison, but they are worth pointing out. If I had to describe my sole issue, represented by all these minor ones here, it would be that this band works better in the range of more folk than rock.

No Paradise is sensationally quiet and beautiful work from a band that has come so far since their debut, Floaters. Here, it is clear that the band feels most precise in their choices and working together as a band. It feels like a group of friends who, after years of working together, decide to do something they have been doing for a while, but this time with more experience. While there are some slight issues of note, as described in my previous paragraph, No Paradise still has much to offer.

Overall, No Paradise is a lofty folk-like rock album that makes its own atmosphere clear from the opener and never goes back.

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