Turn Down the Lights

Meticulously written, recorded and mixed over three years, Turn Down The Lights is a true album in an era of singles and throw-away tracks. The core of the record is Charming’s unique live chemistry: Ravi’s Johnny Marr guitar fetish, Jay’s 60’s soul inspired bass lines, Chris’ steady drum work and Nicole’s luscious alto. But from the Dusty-In-Memphis strings and horns of “Stranger (I Will Never Be A)” to the banjos and George Harrison slide of “I’m In Love With Love,” Charming’s indulgent approach to recording pop music recalls the AM radio craft of recent Belle and Sebastien. While songs like “Lost and Found” and “Working Man” revel in the three minute pop format, “Sunday Morning,” “Sunday Afternoon,” and “Sunday Evening” form an indie-pop suite spanning lazy surf music, jangle pop and cuban son. Eschewing the ennui and “la, la, la” amateurism of current indie-pop, the album’s strongest aspect, however, is its storytelling. From the title track’s music-biz tragi-comedy to the post-9/11 love and loss of “Stay Home With Me,” all the songs on Turn Down the Lights find common ground with their rich characters and imagery.