Siberia

iTunes Review

Noticeably grittier than her 2009 debut, The Listening, Lights’ 2011 sophomore album, Siberia, kicks off with the pumping title track, where a distorted bass groove drives the tune straight into the flirty voice of Juno Award–winning Valerie Poxleitner. Just try walking away from this catchy song without it resonating in your head. The pop sophisticate’s alluring inflections balance soul with restraint on the following “Where the Fence Is Low,” a standout track where blown-out rhythms pulse against her demure coos, sounding like it was produced by Daft Punk. She braids dubstep with electronica and good old-fashioned radio pop on the similarly contagious “Toes.” Anyone craving a dance floor anthem need look no further than “Everybody Breaks a Glass,” where overdriven beats and a throbbing oscillation of sonic static perfectly contrast Poxleitner’s silky voice. She simmers down on the hushed “Heavy Rope,” serenading under skittering beats and sheets of icy synthesizers to sound like a young Cyndi Lauper singing over a Björk song. “Fourth Dimension” works in hip-hop phrasing in the verse and R&B melodies in the chorus.