Fanfarlo frontman Simon Balthazar sings with an uncanny resemblance to Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, and Balthazar’s band is nearly as adept at indie-goes-mainstream New Wave stadium bait. But “Rooms Filled With Light,” the London ensemble’s sophomore LP, feels miles away from Butler’s heavy-handed ruminations on the horrors of suburban life. Instead, the album feels airy and exhilarating thanks to arrangements that make the most of empty space and knob-twiddling from Ben Allen, the producer who helped shape Animal Collective’s “Merriweather Post Pavilion” and Deerhunter’s “Halcyon Digest.”
Secretly Canadian signees Gardens & Villa will open Tuesday’s gig at Skully’s.
