Indie oddball explores pop

When an eccentric artist whose legacy is built in defiance of the mainstream opts to pursue a more accessible style, the results are often unpredictable. On one hand, such a shift can bring new vitality to a threadbare sound. The maneuver could just as easily backfire, leaving disappointed audiences with a collection of over-produced, bland songs. Steve Mason’s new LP About the Light, the deepest exploration of pure pop territory in his career, falls somewhere between these two extremes. While it doesn’t measure up to his previous three solo albums (not to mention his groundbreaking work as the leader of The Beta Band), it is an enjoyable, if unmemorable, addition to his catalog.

Though this sudden change in sound is not unprecedented—Mason is a notorious musical chameleon, who has always taken pleasure in trying on disparate styles for size—fans may be surprised by the nature of the latest development. About the Light, which is characterized by sleek, glossy production and a pursuit of anthemic grandiosity, contrasts sharply with the meandering folktronica jams of The Beta Band and Mason’s previous solo work.

In accordance with the evolution of his sound, Mason also significantly altered his creative process for this album. Most notably, he took a more collaborative approach by including his live band in the writing and recording process. Previously, Mason has worked alone during this phase. Furthermore, the album was produced by Stephen Street, whose relatively high-profile career includes collaborations with The Smiths, Morrissey and Blur. These new influences can be clearly heard on the record, but unfortunately, they seem to dilute Mason’s idiosyncratic voice instead of adding a new dimension to his sound.

After opening with the maximalist horns and vaguely politically-tinged lyrics of “America Is Your Boyfriend,” About the Light develops into a highly listenable mixture of country, blues and brit-pop, with songs often escalating from initially dreamy timbres to more driving riffs. “Fox on the Rooftop,” one of the album’s best offerings, has a mildly neo-psychedelic flavor. Its hazy synths blend seamlessly with a creeping guitar melody to produce an absorbing soundscape. The more upbeat tracks such as “Spanish Brigade” and the penultimate “Walking Away From Love” are memorable for their central guitar riffs (borrowing from ’70s and ’80s pop-rock) but are, like most of the album, lyrically uninspired. For fans of the music from Mason’s earlier career, the title track, with a country-style guitar that loosely intermingles with the steady piano melody, is probably the closest that he comes to rehashing his Beta Band sound.

If Steve Mason’s intention for About the Light was to expand his personal horizons, then he succeeded. He took both his music and creative process in a new direction, though not a very exciting one. Most of the songs operate on territory that will be familiar even to a casual music listener. Still, longtime fans will hear traces of the quirky sensibility that originally drew them to Mason’s music.