It’s been a long time coming, but today we’re stoked to finally share the official video for “The Big Picture.” The shiny new Myspace featured and premiered the vid for us here.
Long time collaborator Jordana Toback directed and choreographed the video. The shoot was graced by professional dancers Hope Davis and Casey Loomis, who are the clear stars of the video. Jordana elaborated on their role: “In the video the two dancers represent something heavenly and unobtainable, which defines the narrative of the video–it’s about falling in love, the kind of love that hurts as much as it gives you pleasure.”
We owe a HUGE thanks to everyone involved with the video shoot:
Director and choreography: Jordana Toback
Assistant Director: Jennifer Kachler
Director of photography: Kevin Ornelas
Dancers: Hope Davis and Casey Loomis
Makeup: Kian Steav
Here it is folks! Adrian Grenier’s Wreckroom invited us to play in his Brooklyn home studio last summer. It was fun, and it was sweaty. Listen for the first time to the title track, “Want,” from our new album.
Gowanus, Brooklyn “fuzz rockers” Lightouts have returned with their umpteenth self-released single “Not Today,” the cheery opener to their upcoming album Want (due March 5). The clip, filmed by frontman Gavin Rhodes, is a chill, two-minute joyride constructed from video of clouds he’s been collecting on various flights. If you remember your cirrus from your cumulus, then pop quiz, hotshot. But enough pilot talk, the song is no slouch either, a taut, musclar, jangle-fit perfect for lovers of the nu-nu-wave of ’90s-gone-feral punkos like Parquet Courts and PAWS. Check out these cloud somethings.
Here’s a summary of new press “The Big Picture” has been getting. Huge thanks to all of the outlets and fans who’ve been giving us support.
The Music Ninja– Exclusive premiere of “The Big Picture.” “Their latest single, ‘The Big Picture’, is a pop monster which combines the melodies and bounce of electro with the grit of rock to create something very special. Definitely a band to look out for, Lightouts have the potential to be massive. Stay tuned for more from them..”
We Are Hunted – Free MP3 feature, “The Big Picture” charted at #12.
Listen Before You Buy – “Fine, I admit it: Lightouts are capable of sounding like The Smashing Pumpkins at their peak. Not that I ever really doubted them, of course.”
It’s finally here! Yesterday marks the release of our 5th single, The Big Picture. The a-side was premiered by The Music Ninja, who called it, “a pop monster which combines the melodies and bounce of electro with the grit of rock to create something very special.” TMN continued the flattery by closing the post with, “Definitely a band to look out for, Lightouts have the potential to be massive. Stay tuned for more from them.” Cheers to that!
This is the second single featuring the drumming of Josh Fleischmann, who we’re proud to say is now our permanent drummer. We also have a fantastic new bass player, Dean Perry, who has played some shows with us but has yet to make his recording debut with us. Look out for that to happen very soon… So yes, it’s official, Lightouts is no longer a duo.
The new single also features the mixing and mastering of Andy Altmann, whom we’ve been working with for all of our releases. As always, Andy’s mix rocks and is made to be played LOUD. The original b-side, “Stray Boy,” is a mix of punky rhythms bookended by some psych swirl. Filter Magazine had the premiere on that one. The cover tune on this single is by none other than The Cure, whom a certain guitar player in our band happens to like just a little bit (little bit meaning he used to dress up like Robert Smith in 8th grade). The song is called “Push” and is a deep cut from 1985’s Head On The Door.Impose debuted the song for us and The Vinyl District chose it as their single of the week.
You can buy the mp3s via iTunes or Amazon, buy them in CD quality from our store, or simply download for free them via our Soundcloud player. Full details here.
For New York area folks, our next show will be as a part of the inaugural CBGB Festival on July 5th at the Highline Ballroom.
Here it is folks, the first track from our fifth single, The Big Picture, due in a few weeks. This time we chose to tackle The Cure’s classic track from 1985’s Head On The Door. It’s a faster, more muscular version of the song that still retains the melancholic grandeur of the original.
Why The Cure this time? Rumor has it that chief Lightouts songwriter Gavin Rhodes used to tease his hair and wear eyeliner in the 8th grade, so this is a bit of a musical homecoming for the band. Rhodes had this to say about the cover: “This is one of those Cure songs that show why the stereotypical perceptions of the band as all keyboards, gloom, and doom are so wrong. I think this is one of the best guitar driven pop-songs of all time. Soaring, anthemic, wistful, it’s just amazing to me. This guitar riff alone was hugely influential in my development on the guitar. And the lyric, ‘A smile to hide the fear away / I’ll smear this man across the walls / Like strawberries and cream,’ is simply brilliant.”
Oh yes kiddies. We’re headed back to Union Hall to co-headline a show. We’re playing with Daughn Gibson (White Denim), who’s been generating a ton of buzz lately. This will be his first NYC show. Get your tickets here.
DAUGHN GIBSON
“Lookin’ Back on ’99,” the new track from Daughn Gibson’s forthcoming debut, All Hell, is a spooky, atmospheric slice of electronically enhanced backwoods creepiness. Surrounded by echoed electric guitar, sinister rhythm patterns, and cutting synth, Gibson – former drummer for Pennsylvania stoner-metal outfit Pearls & Brass – unfurls an unsettling, elliptical tale in a gritty baritone. It’s compelling stuff, a modern update on the lonesome country noir of Lee Hazelwood. All Hell is due out in mid-March onWhite Denim, the label run by Pissed Jeans frontman Matt Korvette.” – Spin.com
LIGHTOUTS
“Gowanus duo Lightouts resurrect the melancholy chug and darkly sexy swagger of bands like The Cure, Girls Against Boys, JAMC and Afghan Whigs and impolitely jam it into the drum machine crunch of contemporary locals like Sleigh Bells, Year Of The Tiger and the Death Set. Their latest digital EP, The Eloise Suite, is their third one released this year; all of them sport gorgeous cover art and at least one telling cover (the Stone Roses, the La’s, David Bowie). “The Eloise Suite” is a three-minute 120 Minutesjammer owing to some Berlin-era Bowie chime-rock-and it now comes with a music video that can be best described as “Kubrick’s ‘Addicted To Love.'” – Christopher Weingarten, Village Voice