White Lies

When everybody and their blogger was talking about White Lies at this past SXSW, we were like, "Eh, we'll go see 'em when they come back." We figured a Walter's, House of Blues or Warehouse Live date was on the not-too-distant horizon; we didn't think the West London band would jump to the arena level so quickly. True, they are opening for Tennessee conquering heroes Kings of Leon — whose own path to such venues was as circuitous as their openers' was direct — but White Lies' elegant, expansive music was made to fill rooms this size. Equally reminiscent of ancestors like Echo & the Bunnymen and contemporaries such as the Killers and Glasvegas, the trio's self-titled debut album (Fiction/Geffen) is filled with sleek, well-crafted songs that conjure hope even as they dwell on subjects like death and loss.