Him: Dark Light

This Finnish band formed about a decade ago but has only recently come into its own in the States. From the sound of “Vampire Heart,” this disc’s opening tune, they can now command attention anywhere. Lead singer Ville Valo is also the band’s songwriter and he has crafted a very hooky opener filled with churning guitar, chipper keyboard and his stylish, breathy vocals. If you’ve seen HIM CD covers or perhaps concert posters, you’ve probably seen the ‘heartagram,’ Valo’s cross between a pentagram and a heart symbol. The design looks a bit sinister, especially if Valo is staring out from behind it, but HIM make music that is very poppy—despite some song titles this is not scary stuff. “Under the Rose,” for example, is classic driving rock’n’roll; crank it up, put the windows down, hit the accelerator. And by all means, sing along. Dark Light was recorded in Los Angeles and Valo has his band tapping into a sound that could easily be reverberating in the country’s big arenas. These guys have a ‘greatest hits’ disc available overseas and it may not be long before one is needed domestically.