The idea that a living musician “belongs” to a certain time might be the ultimate backhanded compliment one can give.
And, recipe as the many discarded drafts of this review can attest, viagra sale it’s kind of tough to explain without sounding kinda like an asshole.
Yes, Black Moth Super Rainbow’s taxidermy/seance in the “Sun Lips” video will forever recall a time in 2010 when I was glued to my college radio station’s computer screen, cobbling together Tim & Eric-inspired playlists of music videos with friends for our late night broadcasts. It’s also true that 2010 was (somehow) six years ago (goddamn it) and Tobacco’s gauzy, talk-boxed vocals feel like unearthing a binder of notes and doodles from Freshman year.
I understand that such a statement also implies that Tobacco and his psychedelic electronic ilk have not been relevant for over half a decade, but it’s also worth noting that this year’s SeeFu Lilac EP is the first new music from Black Moth Super Rainbow in almost four years. Despite the dormancy, Tobacco’s solo set on Thursday showed nothing but vitality, even if some people’s collegiate, pseudo-stoner days are (thankfully) far in the past.
New York’s Lord RAJA opened with a serviceable DJ set, combining his Adult Swim-approved glitch hop with syrupy remixes of Young Thug, Skepta, and Future. RAJA was joined by a hype man that, for a solid chunk of the set, was mistaken by at least half of the room for a stage crasher or performance artist. Up until retreating for drinks mid-set, the hype man flailed his left arm with the kind of awkward urgency of someone knowingly on camera at a Boiler Room set while remaining glued to his phone in the other hand. The mystery man/drink grabber served as a perfect representative to help wade Brighton Music Hall into RAJA’s half club-ready, half experimental set, which knowingly never fully committed to one side or the other.
Joined by members of Black Moth Super Rainbow, Tobacco heralded the return of both his solo career and BMSR’s with a heavy amount of new material from albums rumored to surface in the coming months. After opening in darkness on a new track that had Black Moth drummer Iffernaut competing against the beat with a giant gong, the three piece wasted no time in reintroducing their psychedelic joker selves. Images of disfigured CGI faces projected on the gong as their (in)famous love of surreal late night TV clips emerged in pixelated form within Tobacco’s giant, lit-up logo.
Tobacco’s unintelligible talk box between songs served as the show’s only “banter”, making his set felt more like a DJ set for a smoke-filled basement party pushing curfew rather than a showcase of new songs. The trio sandwiched new songs between favorites “Hairy Candy” or “Heavy Makeup” seamlessly, exemplifying the band’s ability to never find a bottom in their relatively unchanging bag of tricks.
Although dancing remained a constant, the room naturally erupted upon the first strains of “Sun Lips”, bringing a group of crusty dudes up front to pogo alongside tie-dyed college kids. While that image alone was worth admission, it was one of many that undid any sort of trappings of time surrounding Tobacco in my mind.
I doubt I’ll ever hear “Lips” without feeling a twinge of shame over the same ratty cardigan I wore everyday my Freshman year, but with an ever-consistent arsenal of sun-damaged party anthems for fellow weirdos, Tobacco makes it worth considering extending 2010 for a few more years.