This Thursday, Holocene hosted a lineup packed tight with a who's who of indie up-and-comers. All three bands (The Very Best, Warpaint and Zola Jesus) have caught heavy buzz, both in print and around the blogosphere, and tonight, each proved that the hype was not only credible, but justified. It was as if the night was some sort of globally-infused block party that took the crowd anywhere from sprawling psychedelia to buoyant African party rhymes. I wasn't expecting such good fortune, but I sure was thrilled with how it blessed my Friday night.
In my notes about Zola Jesus, I wrote ‘sounds like Fever Ray....but better,’ and as fate would have it, Zola (aka Nika Roza) opened for Fever Ray earlier this year. This will reveal itself as the perfect pairing if you ever have the chance to see her live. One thing you'll notice though, when confronted with her in person, is that she is epically tiny. As in, around 5 ft tall. However, sheltered within that frame is a voice much larger than her physical presence that can overtake and consume a room. Word on the street is she's classically trained in operatic technique and I buy it. This isn't a voice that is just there, this is what comes after someone builds off natural talent.
She first revealed herself in a strange 'it isn't a Snuggie, it is fashion' outfit that played off the mystery of the sound, but still made her appear like a lost druid. And while her voice stood apart, the music was less striking. The synths and drums made for a dark, rich sound that filtered out into the room. Delightful for some, an excuse to grab drinks and shake off the work week for others. An important note is that Zola Jesus is presented as a band, not just Nika and a bunch of supporting players. That said, even though you notice the music, your attention remains on her. All and all, the songs sounded a bit underdeveloped, but it was a promising effort nonetheless.
Supporting this year’s album, The Fool, Warpaint took the stage next. This quartet of females used their time to bring us even further along the spectrum of introspective dream noise. What felt lacking though, was Nika’s powerful voice cutting through the noise like a beacon. But what was gained ended up being so much more. The diversity captured by having three singers that can shift between back-up and lead vocals showed that Warpaint was more than just a great compilation of hair styles. Their songs were thick and rich live, rewarding the crowd as they shifted from hypnotic hazes to ethereal sound warps. Over their 7 minute run times, you could as easily get lost in your head as you could fixate on the technical abilities of a band that even melophobe has fallen under the spell of. It was a tantalizing promise of their album dropping in October.
2010 is shaping up to be an epic year for music and while The Very Best can't participate in the year-end list mania - unless they drop another mixtape (fingers crossed) - they certainly are adding to the landscape by bringing The Warm Heart of Africa out on the road. I'll admit that when I signed up for this show, I initially confused them with the Best Coast, but found myself pleasantly surprised to discover that the last band of the night was one of the grooviest and most fun acts I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in some time. Not quite all the way hip-hop or indie rock or electronic, The Very Best has taken the time to create a sound that is both familiar and new. With a name that defies spell-check, their leader, Esau Mwamwaya warmly hopped on the stage and introduced us all to the dance party we’d been patiently waiting for. Or for some, probably felt foreign after two hours of high drama, conceptual music.
Donning an Artful Dodger-esque cap with a sharp jacket and jeans, Esau had an easy smile and words of love for all. He bounded around the stage like a child let out for recess, motivating the crowd to follow suit. He spent about as much time hyping the crowd (he was alone aside from a DJ) as he did singing. And when he sang, he proved that party music transcends all language barriers - whatever language its in, it's going to make you move. The crowd that started off squished into the stage room eventually spread out into the club's adjoining nooks, allowing the dancers to mingle to with the bar patrons not wise enough to buy a ticket. This was a show that was unabashedly fun, especially the part when they dropped Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There." That's when cell phones went up and the crowd turned into an amateur gospel choir. Michael would have been proud and lord knows, he would have been dancing, too.
