I have a music confession to make. In honor of my first contribution to Allston Pudding, viagra 100mg I’m going to divulge my source for all things under the indie-rock radar: Australian radio station Triple J.
Rewind back to last October in New York City. Industry insiders were all abuzz about San Cisco, capsule the Aussie newcomers making their US debut at CMJ. I was picking up my first ever music press pass, order but the Fremantle four-piece were already on my gig list and in my iTunes library thanks to their 2011 EP Golden Revolver, which first landed them on Triple J’s airwaves and AC/DC’s label Albert Productions. 2012 was a whirlwind year for the Aussies as they released “Awkward,” which racked up more than 2 million YouTube hits and landed them at number 7 on Triple J’s Hot 100 yearly countdown, hit all sorts of stops on the Australian festival circuit, and finished high school (sure puts my extracurricular activities to shame). Ready to take the states by the time CMJ rolled around, San Cisco signed with Fat Possum Records (home to The Black Keys, The Walkmen, Tennis, WAVVES, and Friends among others).
I ended up missing them at CMJ, and was stoked to finally see San Cisco live last Thursday when they kicked off their first US-headlining tour right here in Allston at Great Scott. They’re joined on the tour by openers Chaos Chaos, the new project by sisters Chloe and Asy Saavedra who delivered their first three albums as Smoosh. Musical prodigies from Seattle mentored by Death Cab for Cutie drummer Jason McGerr, Chloe and Asy are vets on the indie music scene and they haven’t even hit their mid-twenties. Following a two-year hiatus, the sisters debuted their new project last fall, independently releasing a kickstarter-funded EP titled S. They were joined by on the Great Scott stage by cellist Bryan West, who is also featured on the EP. Their new sound maintains the sweet and sultry vocal harmonies from their Smoosh days, set to new electro-pop dance beats creating a distinct and well-developed sound. There’s nothing better than an opening band discovery, and I will definitely be keeping an eye on Chaos Chaos’ next moves.
San Cisco’s set opened with “Beaches,” the title-track of their first full album (yet to be released here in the states) and I was sold. Who doesn’t like a pretty little break-up song, with lyrics like “I made a mix tape with all the songs that you hate,” juxtaposed with sugary sweet two-part harmonies, dreamy sound waves and a little synth for good measure. San Cisco’s sound epitomizes what an Aussie band should be: sunny, upbeat indie-pop at it’s best. With Strokes-esque guitars, a touch of surf rock drum beats, and spot on male/female vocal collaborations between lead singer Jordi Davieson and drummer Scarlett Stevens, San Cisco’s live set was tight.
San Cisco’s sound and stage presence have a polish far beyond their years, while maintaining the carefree charisma that you’d expect from the young group. “No Friends,” “Rocket Ship,” and “Freak Out” got the whole of Great Scott dancing, while “Wild Things,” “Golden Revolver,” and Jordi’s solo acoustic performance of “John’s Song” successfully slowed things down. The more downtempo songs made me feel like my ‘Gansett had some sort of magical youth potion in it that turned the clock back a few years. They capped the set with “Awkward,” and delivered on the infectious single. Their Great Scott performance was the ultimate example of feel-good music, and the Aussies executed it with a maturity that made me think we’re just seeing the start of something special. Here’s hoping that their self-titled debut album gets a US release date soon because I have a feeling it’s going to be the soundtrack to my summer.