Bright Light Bright Light ~ An Open Heart

Rod Thomas, aka Bright Light Bright Light has given pop stars everywhere a masterclass in how to make an album campaign long lasting AND meaningful for fans. Remixes, piano/vocal versions & mash ups kept his stunning Make Me Believe In Hope opus alive long after music released around the same time had faded away. He's now previewing brand new material for his forthcoming EP (In Your Care, out later this month) with a brand new tune entitled An Open Heart. This has several things going for it before you even give it a spin - firstly, it's almost got the same title as one of the top 3 Madonna songs of all time; secondly Rod's hair looks amazing on the single cover (and the length of his sideburns is impeccable); and thirdly & finally, he's only bloody teamed up with the wondrous Ian Masterson (who has worked on too many pop gems to name, but Bananarama's sparkling Baby It's Christmas comes to mind as a song that dominated my Decembers for the past 3 years & Sun by Belinda C is fucking marvelous). The song is drenched in dynamic synths and powered by a bubbling, energetic groove. The lyrics detail the pleas from one boy to another to be more receptive to the joys that love, lust and everything in between can bring. There are some lovely expressive words to underline this, including my fave "even the light has to break through the night to keep the hope alive" - it makes it feel like the sequel to Make Me Believe In Hope with modern day love deconstructed in a way everyone can relate to. It's a swirling shimmering masterpiece that will brighten the darkening nights, the type of song that makes me believe in pop all over again. Stand by to be stunned...

(As you can see, there is also an accompanying video. Rod's always been quite creative with his visuals and this is no different. Here are some of the highlights from the gorgeous epic)...

• In the type of spacious apartment that features in US sitcoms (with nary a thought given to whether the character can afford it or not), possessions & memories shimmer in and out of view, like the ghostly echoes of relationships past...
• Rod sits alone in the apartment. Two things - it has some lovely flooring & windows; and Mr BLBL himself is looking more handsome than ever (and his pop star hair is IMMACULATE).
• I also like that Rod is wearing a plain white shirt - somehow it lends itself to the simplicity of the video. It's all stripped back & beautifully framed & shot (with the light pouring through the window, just like on the "after" shots on Double Your House For Half The Money when they want to make the dingy bedsit look amazing as a now 1 1/2 bed des res).
• Someone seems to have stolen Rod's bedstead - but at least they have some conscience as they have left him with a mattress & a quite nice looking duvet set, which will keep him cosy on the lonely nights (SOB)...
• There are some glorious close ups of Rod, all dressed in blue, in a kitchen that any show home would be proud of. Interestingly, that the kitchen surface seamlessly blends into the sink without any join marks seems representative of how opening the heart could lead to a more seamless, enjoyable relationship.
• (Now I'm definitely reading too much into things - who else would use kitchen sink imagery as a metaphor?!)
• The scene shifts flawlessly to Rod standing in front of his window treatment, the sun illuminating him like the little angel he is ;) He seems utterly immersed in the lyrics and emotion of the song which, of course, is as it should be...
• Rod is now sitting in the window. This can be a great selling feature if he needs to sell his enviable space. Because a larger image of his face is juxtaposed over the sitting image, I thought he'd been tied up in the later for a second (obviously as a visual metaphor for how not having an open heart can leave you in knots etc. Or as some sexy fun, which is great until you forget the safe word :D) He hasn't so panic over!
• Turns out he wasn't sitting in the window, but on his lovely sparkling clean bathtub. It has really expensive taps - I know because I'm just having mine remodelled and I made the mistake of not going to Victoria Plumb. Anyway, Rod is having fond but painful memories of his love in every room of the house :(
• So from the video we have learnt that Rod never has a hair out of place, has a lovely gaff & a brilliant selection of nicely fitted shirts :) (And also that he works with a very talented crew who obviously know how to bring his artistic vision to life. Another triumph then)...