Lightning Dust

Infinite Light (Jagjaguwar)

Tremulous opener “Antonia Jane” glints enough Mazzy Star to prompt moon shades, but Amber Webber’s reedier voxcraft reverbs tougher stuff. Paired with Black Mountain bandmate Josh Wells, the singer brings a subtle undercurrent of the duo’s Canadian psych-roots quintet, even though as Lightning Dust, she and him recall a Mazzier She & Him. Webber’s pop noir delivery sprinkles 4AD, but she’s quietly feral, as if Sinead O’Connor sang with the temerity of Daniel Johnston. A Vince Guaraldi riff underlies the drum-goosed “I Knew,” while the sawing string arrangement of “Dreamer” and tabernacle orchestral sweep of closer “Take It Home,” faded out at six minutes, cast restless glows. Ditto for the Tangerine Dream of “Never Seen.” “Waiting on the Sun to Rise” dawns the most overt Hope Sandoval lilt, only tawnier, yet still tender. If sophomore disc Infinite Light instead leaves only a pleasing afterimage, it’s still dusky pause. (Lightning Dust coats Mohawk Saturday, Sept. 26.)

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This article appears in September 25 • 2009.

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San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.