Lucid Dreaming with Sweden’s Fredrik

February 22nd, 2010 • Baltimore, Concert Review, Rock
Tags: Baltimore, Fredrik

I’m in love, and not to the bear of a man squished against me wearing a Veckatimest shirt or the beautiful couple to my left who were doppelgangers of Beach House. I have never been so ecstatic about a band since the Cotton Jones Basket Ride (now Cotton Jones).

Fredrik, a Swedish dream duo composed of Fredrik and Lindefelt, “use music as a medium to talk to people”, words taken from a hero of theirs, Sun Ra, and, over February Break, on Feb. 20, I attended a show of theirs in Baltimore’s Metro Gallery. In between spacey, intoxicating tunes, their narrative vocals steal your mind, irrevocably intriguing you into some faraway escapade. In a stark yet much welcomed juxtaposition to folk guitars, many of their songs build midway with the addition of horns and strange bellows. The crowd is swept into Fredrik’s lullabies in which our wildest dreams come true and everything is euphoric, strange, and alive.  All the sounds pulsate through you, shown through songs such as Alina’s Place, which was extended to 7 strong minutes, where the entire crowd cooed in like birds and chanted  “we’re all in.” They’re the best of the Cary Brothers , with leads resembling early Calexico, and the captivating backgrounds of Broken Social Scene.

So I leave you with these recommendations, because I know I have convinced you to join me in my praise of Fredrik: If you’re looking for a song to hook you, check out Ava. It’s bouncy, breathy, and a little creepy. In my mind a perfect combination. Definitely check out Na Na Ni, along with their newest album, Trilogi. Read more »

Album Review: Teen Dream by Beach House

January 21st, 2010 • 1 comment Album Review, Rock
Tags: Baltimore, beach house, Dream Pop, Teen Dream

To many, Baltimore, the city on the bay, may seem like a decidedly unlikely source for some of the most innovative music being produced currently in the United States. Quietly tucked between New York and Washington, the home of the Orioles has managed to produce numerous bands that represent a myriad of genres.

I think perhaps most surprising is that the still-fledgling genre of dream pop has managed to flourish on the mean streets of Baltimore of all places. Animal Collective is no doubt the biggest name to grow out of this tradition, but before you empty your crab bucket, take notice of the increasingly popular duo, Beach House, which also lives and works out of Maryland.

Their third album, Teen Dream, is slated to be released by SUB POP on January 26, 2010, but has been floating on the internet for several weeks. The band’s first major label release, Teen Dream is less ambient when compared to their two previous LPs, Devotion (2008) and their Self-Titled debut album (2006).

The elements that band members Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally draw upon in the production of Teen Dream are not all specific to the dream pop mantra. I am particularly fond of the use of percussion, which is a fairly significant shift in their music. This album is by no means dance music, but there is a decidedly potent rhythm that would lead me to believe that if I were to see a live show of theirs I would be raving about it for weeks and weeks after the fact. Read more »