Lab
Partners - Review for Daystar:
Michael
Smith, lead singer and guitarist of Dayton, Ohio's Lab Partners, has
a gorgeous vibrato that endears itself to the listener before Daystar's
first track is even halfway over. Steady and warm, it cascades intuitively
around acoustic chords in the sluggishly-paced "Gold". When
double-tracked, it packs a Marc Bolan-esque punch, assisted in no small
part by the band’s affinity for fuzz rock guitar stunts and mock-sneering
'70s attitude.
Songs like "You Make It Better" travel
down the well-worn Shoegazer path, minding the Jesus & Mary Chain
stones that line its blurry edges. The wall-of-sound chorus and lazy
melodies are as delicious as any morsel on your old My Bloody Valentine
albums, although far less browbeaten. Amy Smith’s tasteful keyboard
and flute lends "Furthest from Love" a wistful feel, underpinned
by chugging, cymbal-heavy drums. And look ma, no bass guitar! A few
tracks ("Still Shine On", "Furthest from Love,"
Daystar) easily break the eight-minute mark, but if you're hip to reverb-drenched
jams you hardly notice. Meaty as hell at just under 73 minutes, Daystar
doesn't have to put on any epic pretensions. It is epic.
Excluding GBV and Swearing at Motorists' recent
LP's, I dare say this is the best album released from a Dayton band
in a long time. Dennis Mullins' production is crisp and forceful, never
losing sight of the fact that texture and variety make all the difference
in songs that slather themselves in drone and echo. What Lab Partners
really bring to the psychedelic/space-rock table is a reassuring hand
and a warmth of sentiment that’s refreshing compared to indie
rock's typical distanced irony or detached pathos. Daystar is the perfect
album for that long road trip, day in the sun, or night under the covers.