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Synesthesia is a scientific term describing the sensation of associating sound with color. The light show that accompanied Hundred Waters’ show at The Sinclair on Saturday might have adequately simulated the phenomenon.
Touring off the lush electronic sounds of 2014’s Moon Rang Like A Bell and a placement in a Super Bowl commercial for a soft drink company, physician the band appears to be riding high. And, to the band’s credit, the live show has been fleshed out dramatically since I last got the chance to see them opening for Alt-J in 2013.
That aforementioned Super Bowl commercial song — “Show Me Love” — came at the conclusion of an extended instrumental on “Chambers (Passing Train).” On the record, “Show Me Love” is without a backing track and frontwoman Nicole Miglis’ vocals are drenched in effects. Live, they were pleasingly clean, as Miglis played a rousing keyboard accompaniment.
Even if the blend of electronic and indie rock might not suit your taste — and this is going to sound ridiculous to say — you should consider going to a Hundred Waters concert on the strength of the light show alone. Every song of the night was so beautifully lit by a rig provided by the band, creating a precisely timed added splash of color over the stage.
Mitski, singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, kicked off her leg of the tour with Hundred Waters at The Sinclair. It’s rare when a pocket of a crowd cheers when a band comes on the stage to set up during set changes, and even more so when it’s not a headliner. And yet, Mitski got that kind of love — and it’s definitely well deserved.
The criminally short set gave a snapshot of what is likely to be a meteoric rise over the next couple of years. Mitski’s biting, honest songwriting and her vocal talent will take her to new heights.
The heartrending track “I Don’t Smoke” glistened — the lyrics even more jolting live against a wall of distorted guitar: “If you need to be mean, be mean to me / I can take it and put it inside of me / If your hands need to break more than trinkets in your room / You can lean on my arm as you break my heart.”
The set closer was “Drunk Walk Home,” a song that concludes with Mitski screaming into the microphone for an extended period of time.
It’s no surprise that Mitski’s most recent LP, Bury Me At Makeout Creek, is among Allston Pudding’s favorites of last year. Or that Don Giovanni Records will release her next album. Or that she’s playing a show with Speedy Ortiz and Krill at The Sinclair next month.
Suno Deko, the stage name of David Courtright, an Atlanta-based experimental pop musician, opened the evening. One-man looping bands tend to get passed off as gimmicks, but Suno Deko had an engaging sound and stage presence. For a new song he tried out, Courtright made a beat by using a drumstick on his guitar, and then filled the rest of the sound with strumming. It’s very cool to see live. His studio EPs are available, but don’t quite do it justice unless you see Suno Deko in person.
