Light in August is an indie quartet from Ann Arbor, Michigan that has been honing their craft since 2007. Being classically trained, they have a rather sophisticated and eclectic edge to their brand of pop rock, which could be classified as "prog folk". Alex Wand's songwriting and vocals have parallels to Cat Stevens; Alex also plays the guitar, sitar, and flute. "Places" has a bit of a coffeehouse feel to it, but on occasion you'll hear some smattering of distortion to disturb the rather tranquil nature of most of the tunes.
Light In August is not love at first sight for me; I'm not really finding too many reasons to play these songs again anytime soon. Not too many hooks, the voice is so-so, and I am not a big fan of the flute. Like Joe Christmas in the Faulkner novel, the music of Light In August is mysteriously complex; one minute you like it, the next you may not, but the one certainty is that it is engaging. I'd recommend this for fans of Frente!, Nick Drake, or Jethro Tull.
Light In August on MySpace. Official site.
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