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Music

The Sight and Their Lights Out Power Pop Will Improve Your Day

Listen to the Cleveland band's new cassette of snappy pop hooks.
Image provided by band.

Even for the most boring of curmudgeons, it's difficult to tire of power pop. The melody, the bright guitars and big time hooks makes for a music that can turn a shitty day better and a good day into a ripper.

Cleveland's The Sight capture the spirit and good times of power pop on Nite Visions their new four-song cassette tape.

Lead by local musical impresario, Ricky Hamilton, who as well as running Quality Time records, is involved in acts such as Fascinating, Pig Flayer and his own solo material, the band are able to mix it with all sorts. Their first show was at a local biker call called The Homestead Tavern on a bill that included punk bands Bad Noids and Yambag, but Ricky tells us that in the van, the band are just as likely to play punk rock as they are power pop.

The tape is available now through Blow Blood records (Magic City, Vanilla Poppers, The Cowboy), Take a listen below and read a brief chat we had with Ricky.

Noisey: Besides the Raspberries has there been many power pop bands from Cleveland?
Ricky Hamilton: There's definitely been some lights out power pop bands from the city that aren't Raspberries, although I'm personally a huge fan. A few of my favorites are Lucky Pierre, The Mice, and a St. Valentine Records band called The Reactions. Cleveland people are very receptive to power pop especially now with bands like Shitbox Jimmy, Cheap Clone, and The Missed being so established. This is a city that loves a great song and I think that's why people here enjoy power pop and city rock on the whole. You are quite prolific. Is the magic lost if you spend too much time on a track or record?
I feel like the magic is lost the longer one waits to release an album. This is especially true with certain records that are in touch with the current times. All the bands I'm in right now prefer recording direct to tape as a full band. We rehearsed those songs over a year in our lumberyard practice spot before going into the studio. When we did take those songs to Paul Maccarrone's studio we hit them in one take. I think recording at its best is something that connects the band to a certain place and time where they were creatively together and that's what's beautiful. If the listener can connect with that the artist has done their job. Do you have a favourite song on the tape?
Right now my favorite is "Time Lapse" because I'm elated with the solo that closes out the song and the EP. Carter [Luckfield] and Adam [Spektor] can seriously shred. I also think that particular solo nods to Lucky Pierre's legendary song "Fans & Cameras."

'Nite Vision' is available now on Blow Blood.