Audio: Viernes – Lightyear

“Lightyear” isn’t what we might have expected from Viernes. Truth be told it’s not meant to be a new “single” or even a glimpse into a new permanent direction for the band — it’s a 5+ minute ambient movement recorded on the fly from an improvised live studio session — but it showcases what Viernes does best, or best represents. These guys are artists first and foremost, exploring the wrinkles and caverns, both dissonant and pleasing, that “pop” music often neglects. “Lightyear” is given ample space to breath and grow, or to meander aimlessly if it so chooses (which, to be fair, it does quite a bit). It hums and vibrates and glowingly pushes against its own walls, like a ghost trapped in a glass box. It’s beautiful in its own way, although some of you will find it boring (or even pretentious, especially paired with this write-up). At the very least, like much of Sinister Devices it demonstrates a band that’s simply exploring its own creative ticks and impulses, just for the sake of the exploration itself. – I Guess I’m Floating