This was one of my favorite live performances of the day. This band from Costa Rica’s metal tinged, alternative rock was a lot of fun. What made it more fun was their stage presence. The bassist and guitarist played with so much energy, highlighted by their playing off of each other in a “dueling electric guitar/bass” moment, that I couldn’t help but get pumped. They call their music “dance punk” and it was true. This music … music that I’d never heard before … had me moving in the photo pit.
Described as a Pop, Indie, Folk band, Solander is the quintessential example of this, and The United Methodist Church was an apropos venue to hear this poetic and artistic band from Sweden. The duo, Fredrik Karlsson and Anja Linna, are supported by Albin Johansson and Adam Hjertström and, together on stage, they produced music that was a blend of story-telling, artistry and dramatic sounds. The prominent cello melodies from Linna resonated in the church and I thought, “I think this is what Arcade Fire and Lykke Li (who I love!) would sound like if they went completely Folk, or, what Bon Iver would sound like if he went completely Electronic Pop.” Solander’s music was poetry, musical artistry and story-telling set to prominent cello riffs and illuminated by chanting beats of smooth drums and synthesizer melodies. Folk is not my personal music listening choice, but I closed my eyes once or twice and the music took me through heavy movement in my mind and gripping emotional journies. Being an LA native . . . their sound was like the music you would hear in the background of a poignant movie scene . . . if you ever wanted to feel like you were in a movie, this band’s smooth, but dramatic sound and storytelling harmonies takes you there. Their sound is consistent, each song similar, the same rhythm, beats and sounds, but differentiated by their arrangement and inspiration. It seemed to me to me they did this to represent different emotions (this is the movie scene reference). Karlsson, lead vocals, referenced a Swedish poet as inspiration for his song and personal experiences that brought them to this performance. Solander has and has had numerous tour dates, including SWSX this past year, so look online for dates near you. Their third album, Monochromatic Memories, was released February 4, 2014.
I got to the festival earlier than my writer, so I decided not to waste any time and headed over to the church to check out a band that another music writer recommended. I’m glad I took her suggestion. A little bit of folk … a little bit of blues … a touch of alternative rock … We Met Tomorrow had a solid set that sounded very, very polished. Their tunes were filled with catchy hooks that truly reeled me in (pun intended). They are from Sweden, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell because their English pronunciation was accent-less. For an early afternoon set, it was a terrific start to a long day of music.
“[…] The band is fronted by Lee Triffon on lead vocals and guitar and Adi Feher on keytar. Yes, keytar. Bonus points already earned. Approaching the microphone in full-body spandex jumpsuits and Wonder Woman meets Battlestar Galactica jewelry, they both fit the stereotype I have in my mind of a crazy-attractive (and/or crazy, attractive) Tel Aviv woman. The music was pretty intense shit. Heavy electronic pageantry with heavy breaks underpinning Triffon’s strong vocals. At times the whole thing was really hot. At others, it felt like an EDM version of Nora Dunn and Jan Hooks doing the Sweeney Sisters on SNL. Kinda rad but also kinda comical when they break into these eletro beat brown notes, ditch the instruments, face each other, and start gyrating and jerking around as if they were at some post-IDF Koh Phangang full moon beach party. Remember, the venue was the size of a walk-in closet. But that’s part of what’s so captivating about The Kokoro. They seem totally oblivious to the limitations of their surroundings […].”
“[…] She sounds good. Not pop. Channeling some Chrissie Hynde type of energy […] [T]his woman can belt it out. Talk about presence! Compared to all the falsetto twink 20-something little duders in skinny jeans who’d been on stage all night, she was a veritable lioness, a fine wine blending hints of Florence and the Machine with aromatic accents of The Bangles. And like Susannah Hoff, she may be a tiny lady but she’s gorgeous and one hell of a pro jock on the microphone. Like her or not, she was in full command of that room and it was no coincidence that she was the first performer of the evening to fill the church hall.”
“[…] Gossling is a tall brunette Australian who starts off taking the helm behind a keyboard at the front of the stage. The first thing you notice when she opens her mouth is what a […] cool voice she has […] [W]hen she sings, gawddamn! The oddity and eeriness are what make it beautiful. A really delicate sound that transitions from ambient notes to …I don’t even know what. It’s weird. A little shocking even to look up and see that such a full and complex sound is coming from just her, the guitarist, and the drummer. So rich. I dig this girl. Whole lotta density for a 3 piece. At one point she ditched the keys for acoustic guitar. The guitar ended up being more of a woobie blanket. Couldn’t hear it at all but she looked rad holding it and her voice was still awesome. Sometimes we need a prop to give us purpose on stage, I get that […].”
“[…] They had a Jamiroquai-esque sound but didn’t feel super-derivative. Melodic lyrics floated over a heavy drum beat. Good dance vibe for a crowd that was starting to hit critical mass for getting dancey. What can I reduce these guys to…Citizen Cope meets Tears for Fears…? The drums and keyboard resurrected memories of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” […] The lead singer was getting his sexy on and the ladies liked it. Actually, we all liked it. Dude looked like a Gap model but he could belt out some serious notes. Adam Levine would have turned his chair and had an immediate man-crush.”
“[…] This time there were a couple girls on stage, which was pretty rad. I’m always stoked to see some gender plurality in a band. A short-haired pixie on the bass and a tall lanky drink of water on rhythm guitar and keyboards. Really good energy. A fast driving beat anchored a quasi-grunge surf garage sound. The guy on lead guitar in his prison blues and beanie shared vocals with the girl on bass but her voice was a little mousy and was largely lost behind all the instruments. The guy sounded good (he might have been mic’d better) and was hitting some impressive falsetto notes […] I can’t deny that their set was a little sloppy but you found yourself rooting for them because even if you weren’t feeling it, you could tell that THEY were feeling it. They were obviously stoked to be on stage – any stage – and that’s how a band should bring it. Reckless abandon, no matter where they are. They even smiled a few times.
The set was dominated by an upbeat spacy twang that reflects the sort of trans-Atlantic surf guitar riffs that I’ve heard creep back into a lot of stuff I’m listening to. And I dig it […] Some of it was what the band self-glossed as “funky”. Not sure what their definition of funk is. I definitely was not feeling a lot of James Brown or Bootsy Collins in what were fairly aimless walls of noise and distortion […] Potential trumps refinement.”
“[…] Mercy Beats was already playing and the crowd was slowly starting to fill out a bit […] Dude on vocals was hitting a lot of clean high notes over a retro 80s pop rock / new wave kind of vibe. Pretty fun. Light. Very danceable […] and the lead guitarist was playing a double necked guitar. So that was happening. What was I feeling? Human League? A-ha? Duran Duran? Definitely A-ha. Dude’s voice was really up there and was channeling a “Take on Me” kind of vibe […] [T]hese guys had some swagger on the stage. Overall, the word that keeps leaping into my head is “fun”. They were good fun. Easy to imagine them turning on a shit ton of people dancing their collecting balls off […].”
PHOTOS: Spoke with the folks working the lights after The Mercy Beat finished their set to ask about whether “red” was going to be the lighting theme for the evening. Was informed that the band specifically asked for red lighting.
#DKLPHOTOS 