| « The Show Doesn't Stop at Midnight: A New Year's Eve Roundup | Reasons to see Danielle Ate the Sandwich @ Schubas, 11/19 » |
Review Thu Nov 18 2010
Review: Delorean @ Lincoln Hall, 11/17
Delorean's strength is also a glaring weakness. The Barcelona electronic quartet has carved out a nice career over the last decade with gliding synths, pulsing beats, sturdy rhythms, long builds, and bridges galore. They sound at times like Cut Copy (or another synth-heavy rock band) in Ibiza. Their latest album, Subiza, is full of atmosphere with carefully constructed layers. It's a sonic marvel showing tremendous progression in their sound. But it has a flaw - sticking to the template too closely. Even though Subiza is one of my favorite albums of 2010, I have trouble differentiating between tracks and often hear it as background music. That's something a band can get away with on a record, though.
At Delorean's Chicago shows earlier this year (opening for Miike Snow at Metro in April, Pitchfork Music Festival/Empty Bottle in July) they displayed edginess under the guise of a rock band. They were loud and abrasive, relying on guitar hooks as well as synthesizers. At Wednesday's sold out show at Lincoln Hall, however, they appeared much more comfortable as a straight electronic outfit verging with rave/house. Programmed blips and bloops dominated the night. The guitar was audible, but not overwhelming. Even the vocals were a secondary element. Each song began soft and slowly built to a mid-range tempo. At some point, it'd inevitably break down and then shoot back up. Sometimes it ended with a cool down, other times with a hard stop or seguing into the next song. Rinse and repeat. Yet still it was entertaining. Delorean's music is extremely danceable and even the chatterboxes were at least tapping their feet, if not busting a move or two. (The same can't be said for those who were dragged along by a significant other.) An hour-long set flew by and the band sounded great for what it is they do best, even if it was a bit repetitive. But why fix what isn't broken, right?
Bonnie Page / November 18, 2010 5:04 PM
I agree - background music.
Not suprisingly, you didn't mention Light Pollution or Lemonade. :)