Heart made of sound, made of heart

Shows by the fledgling band SoftLightes promise to be feast for the eyes as well as the ears — and even fodder for the heart, judging from the quartet’s first single, “Heart Made of Sound.”

The brainchild of San Diego-based Ron Fountenberry, Softlightes are an outgrowth of the Incredible Moses Leroy, the persona under which he released albums in 2001 and 2003. His new work, “Say No to Being Cool — Say Yes to Being Happy” (due Feb. 13), exudes the cinematic qualities of Mercury Rev and the bedroom vulnerability of the Postal Service, with some Flaming Lips psychedelia mixed in. It's pop that floats on its own virtue, and invites you along for the ride.

Live, however, SoftLightes are not just another four-piece.

With the players in shadows — where Fountenberry likes it, he says — the band projects stop-animation videos to each of its songs. “So many people do the band thing better than we do,” Fountenberry says of his stage presence. “We can’t be U2 in a stadium, but we can make it interesting. We live in an age where people are seduced by television. The videos are something people can wrap their brains around.”

Conceiving, making and editing the videos “is incredibly laborious,” says Fountenberry, a rabid thrift-store shopper. And there is another pitfall, of course: “I hope people don’t walk away thinking the visuals were stronger than the music. I think we’ve produced an album that I’m really proud of.”

That album, made with drummer Tim Fogarty, keyboardist Jeff Hibshman and bassist Kristian Dunn, ended up on Modular Records, home to such acts as Wolfmother, Cut Copy and the Avalanches. “We were originally signed to Bar None when this opportunity came along,” Fountenberry says. “Everything just clicked.”

||| Softlightes play the Silverlake Lounge this Thursday, as well as Jan. 18 and Jan. 25.

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Tonight's touts: Eastern Conference Champions and the Parson Redheads open for Cursive at the Troubadour; Peter & the Wolf at the Silverlake Lounge; Lady Sovereign, Honeycut at the El Rey Theatre (sold out).

Comments

[wayne]

good stuff! man, that must've taken forever to make...

[George gig]

Great bass sounds!