Self-taught Amber Webber is renowned for her freewheeling vocal style.

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Immaculate Machine with Lightning Dust & The Square Waves
Broken City
Friday, September 4 - Friday, September 4

More in: Rock / Pop

By now, the majority of Canadian indie-rock fans have become acquainted with acclaimed B.C. psych-rockers Black Mountain. Prized for its monstrous alt-metal overtures, the wave-making ensemble set itself apart from the hardcore fold by tempering its volatile tendencies with fragile, ethereal vocals. The distinctly feminine element that makes this exercise in contrast possible is one Amber Webber. A self-taught talent, Webber is renowned for a freewheeling vocal style that ranges from ecstatic warbling outbursts to solemn intonations as cold and clear as water drawn from an alpine lake.

Like the majority of her bandmates, Webber is prone to taking on multiple tasks. This penchant for dabbling in side projects led the singer-guitarist to team up with friend (and Black Mountain percussionist) Joshua Wells to produce a hauntingly melodic album of their own. The duo’s self-titled debut Lightning Dust, which appeared in 2007, was praised by critcs, but Black Mountain beckoned and they had to answer the call. Earlier this year, the duo reignited their onstage chemistry by committing to a strenuous spring tour with Bonnie “Prince” Billy.

“It was cool to play some of our new songs live, and performing with Bonnie Prince Billy was amazing,” Webber says. “We played some very nice theatres. It was weird doing shows on our own after not performing for three years. No one had heard of us, but that also gave us license to do something totally different from Black Mountain.”

Fitting in practices and brainstorming sessions whenever time permitted, Webber and Wells recorded their latest album, Infinite Light (Jagjaguwar), while on a break from Black Mountain’s busy schedule. Recorded in Vancouver and mixed in Dallas, the August 2009 release easily tops the pair’s previous effort. Layering classical instrumentation over lush organic melodies, Lightning Dust has expanded their atmospheric sound to embrace acoustic guitars, vibrating Wurlizters, syncopated synth machines, unfettered percussion and a Steinway grand piano.

“There are more challenges that go with being a slow band,” Webber acknowledges. “Our shows tend to be a lot quieter. You can hear the chit-chat. We’re used to doing Black Mountain shows in sold-out rock venues full of people singing along to the lyrics and banging their heads, but we also love sparse music. I wouldn’t be in Black Mountain if it didn’t have that aspect to it. Josh and I love leaving space in our songs. It’s so important. You don’t need to fill up every inch; you lose the beauty when you try to fit too much into one moment.”

Things just seem to fall into place on Infinite Light, from the symphonic swells of “Dreamer” to the understated power of the black-and-white-toothed leviathan “Never Seen.” Upbeat numbers like “The Times” and “I Knew” take things to a new level, bringing a hi-fi spark to the suspense-filled serenity of their stormy soundscape. Given this amplified degree of intricacy, it became apparent that Lightning Dust was going to have to recruit additional members into its ranks in order to re-create the magic of Infinite Light in a live setting. Thus, the humble two-piece has ballooned into a full-time foursome featuring drummer Ryan Peters and multi-instrumentalist Ashley Webber (Amber's twin sister).

“She plays bass and sings backup,” Webber says of her twin. “I layered in a lot of vocal tracks on the new album and needed another voice to re-create that onstage. She definitely has her own voice. There are obvious differences between us, but I’d have to say we’re also pretty damn similar. I’ve really enjoyed playing and touring with Ashley. I didn’t know how it was going to work out going into it. I thought ‘This could be a terrible idea,’ but the last year has been really fun, especially the local shows.”