Spectre (LP)
Lightning Dust
Amoeba Review
07/28/2020
Lighting Dust’s Amber Webber and Josh Wells (ex-Black Mountain) have created a thing of rare beauty in the aptly-named Spectre. The dark dream begins with opener “Devoted To,” a tense, haunted slice of folk rock meets ambient atmosphere. The chilly, sepulchral vibe of the album’s early moments slowly fuses into sparse ballads before segueing seamlessly into slightly more up-tempo college rock jammers. (The presence of Stephen Malkmus on “Pretty Picture” and Destroyer's Dan Bejar on “Competitive Depression” might have something to do with the album’s eclectic nature.) Spectre hints at the disconcerting things that go bump in the dark yet this is one liminal state listeners will long to return to again and again.