We didn’t think it would be possible to get electro-pop more painfully saccharine than [a]Owl City[/a]. But then along comes Lights: a Canadian cross between that Postal Service copycat and Ashlee Simpson. Unsurprisingly there’s little of value to take from her debut offering; the singer’s overproduced vocals, shocking lack of decent melodies, unimaginative instrumentation and dreadful lyrics render ‘The Listening’, rather ironically, utterly un-listenable. “All I need is just a little emotion” Valerie Anne Poxleitner purrs during ‘Ice’ – one of only two passable, [a]Ellie Goulding[/a]-ish tracks. Too right, love; come back to us when you’ve turned human.
Camilla Pia