Concert Recap: Washed Out with Memoryhouse

Washed Out started his expansive spring tour on a high note with a packed crowd at the Cats Cradle. Last time Washed Out (aka Earnest Greene) performed there was as an opener for Cut Copy, playing only a brief set. This time fans got to hear a mixture of 11 tracks, all from Life of Leisure (2010) and Within and Without (2011), which were rearranged for live performance. Additionally the audience got a more complicated lights display, and a band seeming more grown up since their last visit. 

Earnest Green performs alongside his wife, Blair 

As with any of Washed Out's songs, the echoing vocals melted into the dreamy synthesizer sounds. Blair Greene, Earnest Greene's wife, accompanied him on synthesizers, as did their bass-guitarist from time to time. Washed Out also featured a live kit-drummer but they were down one synth player since the last time I saw the band. Musical rearrangements and Washed Out's usual unintelligible vocals made figuring out songs a mere guessing game, but made the show more unique, nonetheless. They opened with "Echoes" from Within and Without while keeping the crowd moving with "Get Up" and "Feel It All Around", both from Life of Leisure. "Amor Fati" had fans clapping to the beat during a vocal bridge and Washed Out finished strong with an encore featuring "Hold Out" and "Eyes Be Closed".

Memoryhouse

Canadian trio Memoryhouse opened the show. Their sound was spot on with their albums. The crowd was very engaged and hardly said a word or cheered between songs, befitting of the mellow, sometimes somber feel of their songs. Lead singer, Denise Nouvion, played keyboards and her Canadian drawl carried through as she sang. The band openly promoted Sub Pop Records, attributing their tour with Washed Out to sharing the same record label.

Washed Out Set List

• Echoes
• Get Up
• Far Away
• New Theory
• Before
• You'll See It
• Soft
• You and I
• Feel It All Around
• Amor Fati
• Encore: Hold Out & Eyes Be Closed

Cut Copy Bassist Releases First Solo EP

Ben Browning, bassist of Cut Copy, recently released his first solo EP, Lover Motion. Gus Franklin and Haima Marriott embellished tracks in post-production while Cut Copy keyboardist Dan Whitford added retro synthesizers to enhance that classic 80s sound. 


The first track, "I Can't Stay", features a catchy chorus and funky bass and drums that would fit well on any Cut Copy album. "Night Dunes" is a slow yet grooving electronic interlude while "Feels Like" is an upbeat tune, feeling like it danced its way right out of the 1980s. "Mistaken Images" makes me imagine The Beatles with synthesizers. And wrapping up the EP is "Bullet Island" which builds from two guitars into intense talk-back between synthesizers, guitars, synth drums, and Browning's thumping bass guitar. The EP is quite dynamic and very enjoyable to listen to. Lover Motion was released on Cut Copy's very own record label, Cutters Records. Browning is currently based in Melbourne, Australia. Check out Cut Copy's website for solo tour dates.


Ben Browning - Lover Motion by Cutters Records

Artist Review (Forecastle Preview Edition): Washed Out

A trailblazer of the chillwave genre, Washed Out will be performing at Forecastle this summer. Washed Out is Georgia native Ernest Greene's stage name. He began creating music in his bedroom studio in 2009, moving up through the ranks of the music world via music blogs and MySpace. From 2009-2010 he released three EPs, the second featuring some of his most popular tunes to this day (Feel it All Around from Life of Leisure). In 2011 he shook the music world with the release of Within and Without, a more polished sounding album, which peaked at 26 on the U.S. Billboard 200.


Chillwave has been described by its artists as "funk in slow motion", and Washed Out really encapsulates that idea. Songs have a dreamy, low-fi, synth-ridden feel with rap and R&B influences. Vocals are flooded with reverb, making it nearly impossible to understand. In a sense, the vocals just become another instrument in the music, and for Washed Out, that works very well. If you make it to Forecastle this summer, Washed Out is a must see. If you can't make it to Louisville for Forecastle, check Washed Out's tour page for 2012 dates.

Eyes Be Closed by Washed Out (Within and Without, 2011)
Feel it All Around by Washed Out (Life of Leisure, 2010)
Belong by Washed Out (High Times, 2009)

Track Review: Nothing but Our Love by Dale Earndhardt Jr. Jr. (Live)

Forget synthesizers and drum machines. Why not have a grand piano and an organ instead?


That's exactly what Detroit duo Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. does so well with this live performance in Sólheimar, Iceland. For those who haven't heard the original version of this tune, it is heavy with bass guitar, a drum machine, acoustic guitar, and synthesizers. However, in this seemingly impromptu live version they perform sans mics, using only a grand piano, organ, and the acoustics of a sun-lit wooden-walled church to fill the void of minimal musical accompaniment. Joshua Epstein (organ) and Daniel Zott's (piano) soaring harmonies are spot-on. The result, reminiscent of The Beatles, is a somewhat chilling and stirring version of an otherwise chilled-out synth-ridden song. 

Nothing but Our Love - Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Track Review: A Walk by Tycho

Who says you need lyrics to write an amazing song?

I've been listening to Tycho for several months now but was blown away when I discovered this song. "A Walk" is a track from Tycho's most recent release, Dive (2011).


Tycho is the project of San Franciscan graphic designer, Scott Hansen. (Check out his amazing graphic designs and listen to more Tycho here.) His work, though electronic, seems to derive some interesting undertones from other genres. If post-rock was entirely electronic in nature, I think it might sound something like this: slow, tranquil, and gradual starts that culminate into a much bigger, broader picture. So instead of noisy, echoing guitars, Tycho provides dreamy, layered synthesizers with a sound seemingly inspired by 1970s electronic. Though this track appears to be a bit lengthy, Tycho keeps your attention with varying dynamics, well-placed pauses, and heavy electronic choruses.

A Walk - Tycho