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LIGHT THIEVES - "CRYSTAL MAPS" [MUSIC]

Completely by chance, the month of April is turning into a 20 Sided month... so far, at least. Our second feature of the month is Fresno, CA-based space rock quartet Light Thieves, and just like our first feature this month (Rubedo), they're involved with 20 Sided Records, a label which boasts a very talented roster. I stumbled onto Light Thieves mostly by accident. After seeing Couches, I was convinced to come back later that night and see this band called Light Thieves who I knew nothing about. Taking a leap of faith on advice from friendly strangers, I decided to cancel whatever I had planned and show up -- and I'm glad I did.

Light Thieves play a cerebral, spacey brand of rock which can go from fast-paced and frenetic to calm and collected with the flip of a switch. Their rhythms are always heady, keeping you on your toes, but they don't fall into the trap of getting so complex that you can't follow them. The guitar are frequently coated in phasers, creating an evolving sound that'll make your head spin. On top of all that, their live shows have an unmatched energy about them. Light Thieves' tunes are psychedelic without being sluggish, and that in itself is an accomplishment.

You can check out the video for "Crystal Maps" on YouTube. It's full of trippy pattern overlays, experimental light projections, and hands touching faces -- a formula for success. Go grab Spirit Homes, the latest release from Light Thieves, over on Bandcamp. Being the social media-savvy group they are, Light Thieves are also on Facebook and Twitter @lightthieves, so go interact with them and stuff.

GB! APR2014 Mixtape by Light Thieves

"Crystal Maps" is the single off of Spirit Homes, and with good reason. It's a solid track that steadily develops and doesn't let itself fall into a rut. The bass line is particularly attention grabbing, driving the tune along. This track foregoes your typical verse-chorus-verse structure, instead deciding to let two small verses do the talking, and rightly so -- the vocal melody is immensely catchy. What's structurally so interesting about this track is that rather than signifying changes in the song with vocal refrains, or changes in the chord progression, Light Thieves choose to use rhythmic changes more fluidly. That sort of rhythmic fluidity is what makes them an awesome live act -- seeing four people be on the same page like that and simultaneously switch rhythms is an awesome experience. As with any sort of unexpected or more complex changes, you might have to listen a couple times to wrap your mind around it, so I recommend listening to it multiple times. Trust me.

You can find “Crystal Maps” as well as the rest of this month's featured tracks on the free download of the GB! April 2014 Mixtape, the latest in our monthly mixtape series. Come back and get it on April 30!