Bright Light Bright Light is the alter ego of Welsh folk singer Rod Thomas who's love of late 80's early 90's dance music led to him ditching the valleys for a home in London, and with that came a dramatic change in artistic direction.
His first single, Love Part II, was released back in September 2010 through Popjustice's own label, and although not a commercial success, it laid the foundations for what was to come.
Here is the video if you haven't already had the pleasure.
A remix he did of Ellie Goulding's single Under The Sheets led to her asking him to join her on tour in the spring of 2010 and allowed a much wider audience access to this very talented man.
I was able to see Rod supporting Ellie in Birmingham, (he was selling his Tour EP at the venue and he was nice enough to sign it for me), and it was obvious he was truly at home on stage and doing what he loved.
It was another year until the second single 'Disco Moment' was released but from it's opening beat I absolutely fell in love with this record. It tells the story of a couple who are in two different places in the relationship and as he sings
'In the past we had fun, but not now, you're serious and I'm serious, that if we don't find our way back to how things were, we're done' you know he truly means it and sings it from the heart.
The songs pivotal moment though comes almost at the end of the track when he says 'so you'll have your disco moment alone, I'll stand at the side of the room. You're dressed in light, I'm just a shadow that's flickering', this gets me every time, we have all had a disco moment, when we are so lost in the music that nothing else matters, but we have all been the person that's 'just a shadow' as well feeling left out and like a spare part.
Anyway, you get the picture, I adore this tune.
But don't just take my word for it!
The third single was the uber cool 'Waiting For A Feeling' that I feel deserved to be number one, but what do I know, I don't work for Radio One and clearly only they know anything about music (my sarcasm knows no bounds). Anyone who loved 90's dance music from the likes of JX (Son Of A Gun, Closer To You), The Real McCoy (Another Night, Runaway) and Corona (Baby Baby, Rhythm Of The Night, Try Me Out) will love this track. The 90's dance beat is there but with a modern twist (the 12" version had me crying with excitement the first time I heard it) and with much more profound lyrics.
Here is the video if you haven't heard it before (shame on you);
Eventually, after A LOT of waiting, the album 'Make Me Believe In Hope' was released in June this year. Called 'a songwriter of extraordinary dexterity' by Sunday Times Culture, 'One of the strongest debuts of 2012' by Idolator and given four stars out of five by the mighty Q magazine this album certainly did not disappoint. The opener, 'Immature' is infectious and will stay in your head for many hours after the CD stops spinning, Cry At Films, although on his Tour EP is given a fresh new feel with vocals by Scissor Sisters own Del Marquis.
The track Feel It really could have dropped from the 90's with its dirty beat and the female vocal gives it a old skool house feel that again stays with you long after the track has ended. Moves is a beautiful piece of pop music but maybe the albums highlight, for me anyway, is the fantastic How To Make A Heart. This is pure heartbreak fuelled dance music, with emotive and beautiful lyrics I almost cried the first time I heard him sing the lyrics,
'There's one more broken heart in the world, but nobody wants to hear about it. There's one more person standing in the room left crying'.
Here it is, just for you...
What I loved about this album was the campaign that accompanied it and the effort that Rod himself put into it's release; Vinyl hand posted, signed albums, limited edition orange cassettes (a true holler back to the 90's), bundles, T Shirts, bonus discs... the man never stopped. For me that's whats missing in pop music these days, artists hardly make an effort, they rely on clever marketing or a sex scandal to get a number one, but artists like Rod and the wonderful Darren Hayes who works equally hard, reaffirm my faith in music.
Words cannot describe how good this album is, you have to buy it to appreciate and believe it. This is an album, that may not sell millions, will stand in my music collection of the most amazing and important debut releases ever.
If this has encouraged just one person to invest in this incredible and talented artist then my work here is complete!
Here are some links;
Official Website
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