- ALEX DIMITROPOULOSSweden’s Love Is All delivered minimal stage banter in meek, broken English, exuberant post-punk songs in tight formation and one of the most idiosyncratic voices in rock in an oversized teal sweatshirt. Josephine Olausson squeaks in a voice that is half infant, half feline and all party, and the audience at the Caledonia Lounge on Oct. 7 was lucky to catch her and the rest of the critically lauded band on the first stop of their North American tour. The two openers, the Buddy System and Je Suis Francais were vastly different, but attitudes gelled where styles did not, and all three made a warm, inviting atmosphere.
Openers the Buddy System, a local band that provides musical scores to animated videos by member Lauren Gregg, had the most elaborate setup, which looked as much like a flea market as it did a concert. Three tiny televisions, a projector and giant screen, Christmas lights and various animal lawn ornaments were onstage before the band arrived. The Buddy System aim to synchronize musical transitions to cinematic ones, and their timing is impressive. They play with bold blocks of color, alternating between simple chords in time with the creative changes onscreen, which range from comical to heartwarming. They “supported” cascading Nike basketball shoes, a bobbing jukebox and an anthropomorphized tooth that had its own teeth. Their final song, the epic “Return to Horse Mountain,” featured five hooded horses with pentagram pendants, and two heroes who punch those horses to create Sin City-style blood spatters. The Buddy System is the only band in town that designs engaging stories with such popping sounds, colors and imaginative interplay between the two. They often do so without saying a word.
Je Suis France took the stage next, with shredded vocals singing, “I got an awesome sound,” in a song with an indeterminate ending that kept popping up in between more serious and straightforward numbers. The guitarist/vocalist would scream “stop,” breathe heavily into the microphone like a horror-film villain, and then the song would continue. 
Eventually, someone in the band hit a perfect Isley Brothers “Wait a minute” from the classic “Shout,” only to resume singing about Je Suis France’s “awesome sound.” Unlike The Buddy System, Je Suis France’s surprises and songs sound like they should come from two different groups. They are a cross between a house band and a power pop throwback. Here’s to hoping they fully swing to self-mockery and wild, onstage antics. Their gentler songs may have had excellent lyrics, but they didn’t come through the speakers clearly, and the energy of the band faltered. Their jingle about “Scooter World,” which the Athens business rejected, was a highlight, however. Penned by Kevin Lane, who was working sound that night, the song was a tongue twister rattled off at auctioneer speed, and it elicited laughs from the sometimes doubled over audience. The band segued into another, more professional brand of fun.
Eventually, someone in the band hit a perfect Isley Brothers “Wait a minute” from the classic “Shout,” only to resume singing about Je Suis France’s “awesome sound.” Unlike The Buddy System, Je Suis France’s surprises and songs sound like they should come from two different groups. They are a cross between a house band and a power pop throwback. Here’s to hoping they fully swing to self-mockery and wild, onstage antics. Their gentler songs may have had excellent lyrics, but they didn’t come through the speakers clearly, and the energy of the band faltered. Their jingle about “Scooter World,” which the Athens business rejected, was a highlight, however. Penned by Kevin Lane, who was working sound that night, the song was a tongue twister rattled off at auctioneer speed, and it elicited laughs from the sometimes doubled over audience. The band segued into another, more professional brand of fun. Finally, headliners Love is All unassumingly came on to close out the night’s concert. You can read their name in at least two ways. The first is that love is all-encompassing, and the other is an ironic answer to a question like, “What did you find on your trip through Candyland?” Their music, a sincere outpouring of emotion amid blindingly fast hi-hat work, sporadic saxophone jabs and electric guitar strumming, should point to the former. The band is so well practiced that Åke Strömer could drink a beer while hitting the automated handclaps.
Their dense accumulation of danceable rhythms from every instrument builds and breaks as beautifully as a wave, leaving only vocals, the rhythm section and a chill down your spine. It’s not easy to make a great song that has the lead singer saying “talk” 54 times in the chorus, not that many have tried, but Love Is All can do that and more. Their percussive, throbbing rendition of A Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran (So Far Away),” the last song of the concert and part of their new EP, wasn’t tongue-and-cheek. “I Ran” is Strömer’s favorite song, Olausson said, and she could have been referring to the band’s cover. Love Is All is just that good. They look polite and unassuming, but their sound and talent are big. The band’s name should be as well.
Their dense accumulation of danceable rhythms from every instrument builds and breaks as beautifully as a wave, leaving only vocals, the rhythm section and a chill down your spine. It’s not easy to make a great song that has the lead singer saying “talk” 54 times in the chorus, not that many have tried, but Love Is All can do that and more. Their percussive, throbbing rendition of A Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran (So Far Away),” the last song of the concert and part of their new EP, wasn’t tongue-and-cheek. “I Ran” is Strömer’s favorite song, Olausson said, and she could have been referring to the band’s cover. Love Is All is just that good. They look polite and unassuming, but their sound and talent are big. The band’s name should be as well.
1 comment:
What kind of drugs do you have to be on to make this video? "and two heroes who punch those horses to create Sin City-style blood spatters" is an excellent comparison. If I hadn't seen the video I'd still know what you meant. The videos and music were a good idea.
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