Bright Light Bright Light — Fun City (Review)
I found out about Bright Light Bright Light work through Sam Sparro’s recent album release. Under the suggestions to Boombox Eternal I found Fun City. I loved the throwback late 80s/early 90s look of the album’s cover. It was my listen to the deliciously 90s throwback sound of “I Used to Be Cool” that sold me on the record. Rod Thomas, the man behind Bright Light Bright Light, has been making music under the monicker since 2012 with the debut Make Me Believe in Hope. His prior album, Choreography, was a look into cinematic and pop culture references. Fun City is wanting to be more conscious of the time and give a voice to a community Thomas loves. The album a full celebration of everything LGBTQ+. In an interview with Albumism, Thomas stated that his experience opening for Cher in 2019. His frustrated declaration of “Ugh! As you can see, we’re really gay” would turn out to be a well needed affirmation for many in the community that would shape the Fun City into what we hear today. Thomas wanted to make the album to give visibility and representation to all other within the LGBTQ+ community. There are numerous call backs sonically to queer club, new-wave, and pop music of the 80s and 90s on the record. Rod said he took inspiration from bands like Sylvester, Bronski Beat, and Erasure. All of this makes you want to get up and move. There is also a plethora of special guests on this project, such as Erasure’s Andy Bell, The Sister Sisters Jake Shears, and Sam Sparro to name a few.
“Touchy” (feat. Brendan McLean) is the opener on the album. The song features Australian singer/songwriter Brendan McLean. You immediately hear Thomas’s 90s inspired pop/club music take over the song. Both Thomas and McLean sing about the man they want so desperately. The driving need for this man’s attentions that it boils into jealousy over the of this man’s various suitors, “Out of everybody else who do I need to keep/ One or maybe two eyes on so they don’t get what I need/ Out of everyone you love who do you like the best?/ Tell me that it’s me cos I don’t know what I’d do next”. It’s oozing with sexual desire over this man that becomes a palpable ache. The music seems to reflect this as the blinking synths and hitting chords add a tension to the song. It’s very reminiscent of the beginnings of flirtation where all you care about is mapping out the person’s body all for yourself. The sound and tone set the scene perfectly for what is to come on the album.
“I Used To Be Cool” is the second single released off of the album. The song is this euphoric take on love and friendship. You get a full glamorous club feel with the song. It makes me want to put on my earrings, get some Raybans, and lose myself to the nostalgic sound. Rod’s lyrics provide open arms to its listeners. You are told that no matter what state you are in, be it in pain or elation, he is here for you fully. This loving feeling can go beyond a lover, or a friendship, but also out to the LGBTQ+ community that Thomas feels so passionate about. The chorus aims to give a safe haven to anyone that Thomas is singing to, “I’ve got all night, all day for your tears, for your pain/ You won’t believe it, but I used to be cool!/ I’ve got all day, all night for your passion for your fire/ No way to leave it, oh what would I do without you?”. The music video is cheeky take on the hired help getting seduced by the homeowner. Of course, it’s a wonderfully gay take. Recently, a remix of the song was released featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race season 2 alum Jujubee.
“Sensation” (feat. Jake Shears) features the fantastic Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters. The track gives full club vibes from the mid 90s. Thomas’s instrumentation keeps the track sounding fresh and lively that begs you to get up and celebrate. The song is a celebration of coming out and finally being about to live your truth. My favorite lines from the song, “And now I feel like I’m making up for lost time/ Made it back from feeling not good enough/ And now I’m dancing/ Thеre’s a rhythm in me now”, speak to me deeply as someone who came out in his twenties and felt like he was living his teenage years in his mid twenties trying to figure out the dating world. “Sensation” not only calls upon the euphoric feelings of a physical connection, but also the freeing feel of finally lifting the fears of being closeted off of you. The chorus, “Every word that I say is a celebration of your name/ And the love you give to me is a sweet, sweet sensation/ Every tear on my face is a celebration of your name/ And the love you give to me is a sweet, sweet sensation”, is just pure happiness to the point of tears.
“Good at Goodbyes” (feat. Andy Bell) features Andy Bell of Erasure. The track is goes from misty piano ballad to bumping pop-club track that you weep on the dancefloor to. Lyrically, we’re hung up on someone that we regret that we’ve let go. You can try to put on good front and say your better off and you’ve moved on from them, but inside your crumbling over the loss. All it takes is a smile and you’re ready to let them right back in. That cold exterior melts away when they are around, “Life is a peach, it’s a tropical beach when you’re walking beside me/ Life is a fairground, oh you bring my hair down and I can’t wait to ride and ride and ride/ I never want to come back down!”. It’s not my favorite, but it’s a good break up dance track.
“You Make It so Easy, Don’t You” (feat. Sam Sparro) takes you to that moment where everything clicks, and you feel they are the one. Thomas does great to blend the 90s R&B/Pop sound that Sam Sparro has been experimenting with in with his more electronic/house influences to make this tasty piece of ear candy. Although you can tell there is a sense of caution about these heavenly feelings, “You’ve taken my breath, you didn’t think twice/ And maybe I should but I don’t want to fight”, the chemistry between them has made him want to give in and imagine their future together. Even when you may worry things could go downhill later, “But I want to save so much of tonight/ It’s so hard to say that when we collide it’s like/ Nobody’s seen the part of me, or been this close to me/ I’ve dreamed that it could be and now it’s here, I want forever”, the elation he feels out ways it all. In the end, he makes these feelings come so easy.
“It’s Alright, It’s Okay” (feat. Caveboy) has a slight comparative feeling to Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody” in its opening. The song was co-writing by the Scissor Sister’s Babydaddy. This breaks into this disco/club anthemic piece by the chorus. The song includes the Canadian all female band Caveboy. This song is a celebration of self expression and identity. The opening lines, “We’re all the same, we’re all the same: inside outside, whatever/ But what you say and how you play is what matters the most./ Did you come as a boy or a girl?/ Or did you come as yourself? Even better.”, want you express yourself however you feel most comfortable. The theme here is no matter what your gender expression you have or whatever your sexual identity is, you have a safe haven with him, “It’s alright. It’s ok. Break the silence. Break the chain./ Live your life and don’t let anybody change what’s inside you./ It’s OK. It’s alright. Break the chain. Break the silence./ Live your life and don’t let anybody change what’s inside you.”. The music video follows someone as they go from their masculine look over to their fabulous drag feminine persona.
“This Was My House” (feat. Niki Haris, Donna De Lory, and Initial Talk) would be the first single released off of the project. The song feature Madonna’s backup singers from the 1987 to 2005 Niki Haris and Donna De Lory as well as Initial Talk. The inclusion of Haris and Lory give the song full 90s house feel. Haris’s time with Snap! and Lory’s time on the 90s dance charts really help to give the song that manic house tone that make you want to get your best club kid attire on to. The song is about the fear the community has towards the hatred, brutality, and changes in law that have been effecting them the most. The lines like, “This was my house and I was not supposed to worry about it./ This was the place that I was not supposed to fear.”, echo the terror many in the LGBTQ+ community felt after the Pulse mass shooting. The one place they could feel the safest was no longer a safe place. Other lines like, “It’s cold outside, but in here I am freezing./ I cannot explain how I feel./ It’s your life, but I just can’t believe./ Every time I hear you talk I can’t believe that it’s real.”, point out the raising homophobic and racist rhetoric that has been growing under the Trump administration. The music video is a fabulous menagerie of queer culture: drag, vogueing, and club scenes. There is also a healthy throwback to late 80s/early 90s kitsch in there as well.
“Never Be Lonely” (feat. KAYE) is a sexier throwback club track. The song includes pop artist KAYE. Here, we are trying make sure that the man we have fallen for stays with us. There’s an underlying anxiety that this bliss you have found might leave you and you’ll do anything to keep them by your side, “How do I keep you right by my side so we won’t ever be lonely?”. You could also read this as a drug experience where you would do anything to keep the high for leaving because it makes you feel incredible, “I can feel you running your rings round me/ Making headlines until you are all, you are all I see/ There’s no-one like you. Oh you make a crush feel like love in bloom/ And I kind of like it — this feeling like I could do anything”. That’s silky club feel adds to this burning need to this person or feeling with you at all times.
“These Dreams” (feat. Illustrious Blacks) includes the fabulous synth-pop duo the Illustrious Blacks. The song opens up with the powerful statements from trans LGBTQ+ rights activist Syliva Rivera who had been fighting diligently for LGBTQ+ rights with her organization STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) [I know the “T” word is offensive, but for historical reference that is the name of her group]. If you have not seen her speech where she is getting booed at a 1973 Pride rally, watch it. She points out the hypocrascy of the gay/lesbians of the time for not staning up for their trans and gender non-conforming community members. The song takes a much more sullen tone with its addition of acoustic guitar and more subtle club influences. Thomas pours out his heartbreak over the state of the world. Juxtaposed with the powerful opening, you feel the sadness over the loss of those in our community, specifically here the trans and gender non-binary people, that push away any happiness you feel around other progress. The chorus, “For all these dreams I don’t remember/ There are these dreams that I wish I could forget”, show how much he wishes he could erase all the tragedy and discrimination in the community that continues to be proliferated by the political right. It’s probably one of the most commanding songs on the album.
“Love Song” (feat. Big Dipper) includes the rapper, podcaster, and part of the bear community Big Dipper. The song is this silky mix of 80s pop/club throwback sounds.The song looks forward towards the future with optimism, “I’ve been dreaming things of yet to come/ Living, learning, watching, burning/ Eyes on the sun” and makes peace with the past, “I’m leaving gone yesterday/ Brutal, laughing, fighting, fucking/ The price I have to pay”. We are forgiving those who hurt us and held us back in order to heal. The love the song refers to is more of an internal self love. From this mind set, you are able to spread love back to those around you.
“Next to You” (feat. Mark Gatiss) is a wash of gorgeous synth-pop that makes you feel like want to cry through your mascara on the dancefloor. The song includes a spoken word contribution by actor Mark Gatiss. This is a break up song. The love they shared with one another has fallen apart. Thomas is aching at the distance that has grown between them, “I never feel lonely when I’m on my own/ The way I feel lonely when I’m standing next to you./ I never think to cry when I’m by myself/ It’s all I can think to do when I’m standing next to you.”. Though he knows that they need to break up, there is a tenderness towards the time they shared. He still keeps a picture of his boyfriend from when they first met by his bedside.
“Saying Goodbye is Exhausting” (Feat. Justin Vivian Bond) is a smooth and sexy ballad that features transgender cabaret singer/songwriter Justin Vivian Bond. The focus is on loss. Although the title has an air of humor and campy nature to it, the song has a more serious tone. The two sing over what appears to by the loss of a friend, “ Over the hill there’s a place where none of this happened/ Over the bridge you’re still there looking up at the sky/ Over the sea, there’s a place where you could have been happy/ But all too soon I feel the pain of your loss/ And saying goodbye is exhausting”. Through this, we look back on what could have and should have been before the this person passed. The chorus, “Saying goodbye is exhausting/ Passing the time is exhausting/ Trying to cry is exhausting/ Staying alive is exhausting”, sees how the constant reminders and internal ache of death has worn them down.
Thomas has released two other projects since the release of Fun City, the instrumental album Quiet City and the latest release So Gay. So Dramatic. The album is a fantastic ode to LGBTQ+ culture, artist, and the community. The love how Thomas added so many club/new wave/house throwbacks from the 80s and 90s and made them fresh and interesting. Rod’s stellar guests on this record only make the work shine even more. I loved Sam Sparro’s and Caveboy’s contributions. I knew instantly who Niki Haris and Donna De Lory was from the Madonna’s Girly Show Down Under and Drowned World live shows (iconic). The reverence that he has towards the subject is beautiful. There is a strong sense admiration of everyone in our community along with celebratory and commanding statements around the various challenges and cultural impacts the LGBTQ+ community as imparted on the world. I will definitely be checking out some of his prior work. The album made me a fan. My favorites from the record:
- “I Used to Be Cool”
- “Sensation” (feat. Jake Shears)
- “It’s Alright, It’s Okay” (feat. Caveboy)
- “This Was My House” (feat. Niki Haris, Donna De Lory, and Initial Talk)
- “These Dreams” (feat. The Illustrious Blacks)
- “Next To You” (feat. Mark Gatiss)
My overall rating: 8.5 out of 10 club kid vibes…
