Wild Light

Although bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Timothy Kyle and his bandmates in New Hampshire’s Wild Light (who open this bill for Tapes N’ Tapes) have a way with hooks, their melancholic take on power pop initially seems a bit generic. Fortunately, a closer listen to material from Adult Nights, the band’s forthcoming debut for the StarTime International imprint, reveals some spice amid the sweetness. “California on My Mind,” for instance, starts out sounding like a familiar tribute to the left-coast state, complete with ringing guitars, thumping beats and a Bossy harmonica solo. Yet the lyrics begin with the couplet “Give me a lake that I can dive into/Bury my head in the shit at the bottom” before declaring, “Fuck San Francisco” and “Fuck California” — comments that essentially nail the Bay Area twice. Apparently Kyle, who was briefly a member of Arcade Fire, and his bandmates really do have a Wild side.