Rod Thomas is back at it again as Bright Light Bright Light and inspired by some new friends (Sir Elton John, in particular, who appeared on the I Wish We Were Leaving EP earlier this year) on his sophomore stunner Life Is Easy. Expanding the Bright Light Bright Light sound even further this time around, Thomas ups the dance and synth quotient considerably making Life Is Easy an easy contender for “Club Album of the Year” (Is that even an award?).
“There Are No Miracles” invokes the spirit of Pet Shop Boys just starting out in 2014. “I Wish We Were Leaving” pairs Thomas with Sir Elton on a beats driven track with an expansive electronic soundscape which further accents the pure chemistry when John’s and Thomas’ voices mesh. “An Open Heart” is this gorgeous synth-heavy jambalaya of sonic awesomeness that’s sure to get your ass out of your seat and dancing around your house or office like a maniac (Pair this with Maximo Park’s “Brain Cells” for the most epic interpretive dance-a-thon of the year). “Good Luck” is another banger that adds some elements of Reggaeton making this one of the most upbeat tracks here despite the not so upbeat lyrical content (“Good luck being lonely/Look after yourself/Good luck finding somebody else”). “More Than Most” is just gorgeous on its own but add a choir towards the end and the song goes way beyond.
Did I ramble on about the songs for a bit? I guess but when all is said and done, every song on Life Is Easy is beyond great. Things don’t slow down until the seventh song people! Thomas’s songwriting and evocative vocal style have truly gone to the next level on his sophomore offering. Life Is Easy is out on July 8th through Self Raising Records/Megaforce Records/RED. Don’t miss out on one of the greats of 2014, pre-order your copy here and here.