Lab Partners - Review for Daystar:

The Glass Eye

     Michael Smith, Kevin Parrett, Amy Smith, and Ian Kaplan -- the Lab Partners -- come swirling out of Dayton, Ohio, with their own blend of shoegazer and indie-pop. I tossed the disc in, and Daystar quickly found itself in constant rotation at home and work. In truth, I've found that the more I listen to Daystar, the more the sonic melodies, swirling effects, and melancholy vocals of Smith sink their way into my psyche. Lab Partners effortlessly keep this release from being boring -- an eclectic mix of songs that includes the acoustic simplicity of "Gold," the rock of "Magnify," and the short cosmos-inspired "Riptide." Still, the song that sinks its hooks the deepest has to be the beautifully sublime "Still Shine On," a slow building, effects-laced, ebb and flow of sound that I can't get enough of. A disc definitely worth your cash!