LITE Press

“Japanese quartet LITE pack an impressive emotional weight alongside the inevitable barrage of musical technicality. At times recalling the much-missed Frodus, the warm guitar tones of track such as ‘Human Gift’ are sent skyward on the back of the band’s extravagantly gifted rhythm section while the sweeping e-bow of ‘RE’ possesses a grandeur worthy of Explosions In The Sky. Indeed it’s this unashamedly epic and accessible streak that makes LITE so appealing - Minus The Bear fans will likely find much to love here - and ‘Filmlets’ should prove a more than worthy substitute for math-rock aficionados mourning the decline of Don Cab.”
Rock Sound

“This debut album proper from Tokyo all-instrumental math-rock group LITE is something of an anomaly, a defiant post-rock statement at a time when that genre no longer seems to exist, yet is all the more potent for it. The restless, combative songs are packed with clinical rhythms and lustrous interlocking guitar patterns courtesy of the outstanding Nobuyuki Takeda/Kozu Kusumoto partnership, and given rock-solid groundings by Akinori Yamamoto’s military drumming and Jun Izawa’s snapping basslines. Filmlets is a compelling mix of Shellac severity and Blonde Redhead urgency, with great rock tracks like ‘Human Gift’ demonstrating the group’s collective creativity to the full. The album’s inquisitive and confident character captures your attention and maintains a sprightly pace with consumate ease. LITE look set to lead the post-rock fightback”.
Rock-A-Rolla

“LITE achieve moments of brilliance throughout their debut full-length CD Filmlets…the wall of sound they create has so many exciting layers that it is impressive to just imagine the tracks performed live”
Fake Jazz

“Funky, quirky, driving math prog rock!”
Ptolemaic Terrascope

“by its very nature the level of instrumental complexity and performance on Filmlets is first-rate but, unlike some of their contemporaries, Lite manage to fuse such dexterity and attention to detail to coherent song structures and melodies, creating tracks that succeed in genuinely engaging the listener in more than a simple chin-rubbing exercise. Indeed, this is one of those rare beasts in recorded music, a math-rock album one can heartily recommend to the uninitiated”
Lost At Sea

“This is the kind of music that required headphones clamped on and the volume turned up high while you lay back and just let it break over you like a tumultuous sea…emotive and uplifting”
Music OMH

“one of the most technical yet enjoyable instrumental math-rock albums in recent memory…Filmlets is a truly remarkable album”
The Silent Ballet

“Progressive rock junkies will appreciate their precision and lavish arrangements while the library music nerds will be astonished with their brilliance in songwriting and inventiveness. Powerful riff-o-logists would be hard pressed to find a single issue with any guitar noodle strained several octaves here. While hard to follow, it’s decidedly inviting and an album you should not miss”
Smother

“absolutely superb stuff”
Road Records

“they create an amazing aural sound scape in which you can immerse yourself”
The Line Of Best Fit

“Some tracks - ‘Human Gift’ and ‘On a Gloomy Evening’ - have an almost beefheartesque madness and intensity…this is a great album of a very promising group”
Vital Weekly

“a corker of an album”
Subba-Cultcha

“stoppy-starty, fractured melody math-rockers”
Unpeeled

“Guitarists Nobuyuki Takeda and Kozo Kusumoto employ a kind of call and response style, which only accents the bands affinity for complex time changes and mind-fucking riffs. Moments of musical calculus are often broken up by slower, jazzy passages which place more emphasis on the bass and percussion. The most impressive thing about Lite is their remarkable ability to match their technicality with melody and emotion—something that is seldom accomplished in the genre”.
Decoy Music

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