Sparks fly as Richmond meets Brooklyn

Though the road from Brooklyn to Richmond is a long and taxing one, artists from the two cities still find ways to unite their diverse musical cultures through collaboration. The recent Hotel Lights album “Firecracker People” exemplifies the musical bridging of distance between two cities in a marvelous manner-through soothing melodies and driving emotion.

Founded by Darren Jessee (Ben Folds Five) and Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse), the quartet (currently a quintet) displays a fine understanding of one another with an album that is reflective, somber, uplifting and at times, rockin’.

Trapped in a vortex somewhere on I-95 and calling on the spirit of Elliott Smith, the Hotel Lights find their voice in a tradition steeped in indie-pop.

Cheerful piano melodies draw on late Lennon/McCartney masterpieces while the brutal honesty of Jessee’s passionate voice is entirely his own.

Originally performed by the now defunct Ben Folds Five, “Amelia Bright” begins with an almost Regina Spektor-ish lilt if not for Jessee’s lazy lyrical style. After interesting development through tambourine, drum kit and piano, the song picks up slightly, though it never quite leaves the realm of the dreamscape.

“Norina” tortures Jessee as he hopelessly tries to talk her out of an abusive relationship (Norina/Look at my eyes/They’re satellites beaming back/Norina/We all carry on). Weatherhead’s and Jessee’s understanding of one another is evident in their crisp harmonies and tension-building breaks and entrances.

“Firecracker People” begins with a catchy piano hook and slowly builds tension as the listener hangs on Jessee’s every vocal inflection. The thumping quarter notes lead the song into slightly unsettling areas, but only for an instance. Relaxation sets in as quickly as it is disturbed, resulting in some truly wonderful moments between the band members (We are firecracker people/Going off all the time).

“Chemical Clouds” draws on an energy strangely reminiscent of Badly Drawn Boy from the early part of the decade with a similar sophistication. Though not entirely clear, the song appears to praise someone for overcoming a crisis (Like you were brass knuckles, you broke the night/Fought to fasten, you broke the night/All the lights surround, you broke the night).

Each song introduces the listener to a different character with a story to tell. Their stories are thoroughly enjoyable though the album lacks emotional diversity, clearly a departure from the high energy antics of Jessee’s former band. Whether the subject of each song was encountered in Brooklyn, Richmond or somewhere in between, we can’t be sure of. It’s clear that the Hotel Lights have put out a sweet album with much thought and creativity given to content, musicality and timelessness.

Grade: C+

Download (don’t steal): “Norina” by Hotel Lights