Eyelids – A Colossal Waste of Light

While this may be the band’s 4th album, A Colossal Waste of Time is my introduction to Eyelids. Like the shoegaze bands of the 80’s and 90’s, Eyelids create an aural soundscape on which hang the rest of the song. But unlike some of these bands (think My Bloody Valentine), the dense backgrounds and white noise never obfuscate the melodies. And with hooks a plenty, this makes A Colossal Waste of Light quite an enjoyable listen. 

On first go ’round the guitar jangle reminded me of REM while the dense production felt a little more like Ride. Some of the more memorable tracks include “Crawling Off Your Pages”, “They Said So” and the very catchy “Everything That I See You See Better”. The understated “Misuse” is a wonderful change of pace. 

That said, the most compelling track here is “Runaway, Yeah”. Beginning with an engaging guitar pattern and an Uber-catchy refrain, I feel pretty certain that it would have been a mega-hit in the 80’s.

A Supergroup of Sorts

Consisting of former members of Camper Van Beethoven, The Decemberists, Guided By Voices and others, the word “supergroup” gets tossed around when discussing these guys. And with Peter Buck of REM in the production seat, there’s plenty of star power here. Eyelids are John Moen (vocals/guitar), Chris Slusarenko (vocals/guitar), Victor Krummenacher (bass), Jonathan Drews (vocals/guitar) and Paulie Pulvirenti (drums).

Get A Colossal Waste of Light

Get your copy (digital, vinyl or CD) at Amazon. If colored vinyl is your thing, consider going to Plaid Room Records for the “Clear w/ Purple Smoke Vinyl” version.