Dark Light, the latest musical offering from the immensely talented Carolyn “Cubby” Berk’s Lovers, covers a wide range of feelings in a creative and revealing way. Whether you want to jump happily around on your bed and sing along (see: “Barnacle”), or you’re more in the mood for brooding over significant others on a lonely street corner (“No Regrets”), you’ll find something to float your emotional boat here. Even though most of the lyrics nod to the latter, more sobering situation, in the end, Dark Light shines optimistically thanks to its well-constructed melodies and strong backing beats.
As one might guess by their name, Lovers are interested in love of every kind – in fact, they make it their business to plumb the depths of this powerful human emotion. Cubby Berk once stated in an interview for loverstheband.org that “all my songs are love songs … they’re not all written to a lover, but they’re all love songs”. I would heartily agree. A few examples: one partner clings to another despite the warning signs (“Barnacle”); a scorned couple tries to ignore the naysayers (“Figure 8”); and a breakup takes place with hope for a future reunion (“Cedar Falls”). This might sound like the type of drama more likely found in your average Gossip Girl episode, but Cubby’s soft and vulnerable sounding voice gives it all a much more sensitive, relatable spin. Lyrics take the starring role in every song. They act as perfect complements to the Lovers’ synth-infused and harmony-laden approach, and make the music rich in both sound and imagery.
Anyone fortunate enough to see Lovers live at The Motley on October 29th knows they pull off an impressive 3-piece set. Cubby’s vocals, Kerby Ferris’ adept keyboards and Emily Kingan’s steady percussion came together flawlessly for the small but devoted crowd. A nice touch: they performed in front of a projection of various scenes taken from the band member’s personal lives, artfully masked through the words “LOVERS”, “LOVE”, and finally “OVER” (hooray for wordplay!). The audience wasn’t exactly moshing to the group’s thought-provoking songs, but by all accounts, they had an appropriately toe-tapping good time and left with a new appreciation for “Lovers” – both the excellent musicians, and the everyday romantics.
You won’t want to miss out on Lovers’ cohesive, introspective, irresistibly catchy and above all unique sound, so my sage advice to you is to drop everything and check out Dark Light RIGHT THIS MINUTE!
Dark Light was released October 12, 2010 by Badman Recording Co, and was KSPC’s most-played album two weeks ago!
Reviewed by Rachel Davidson