Thirsty Thursday had everyone rearing to go in Allston. It was hard to choose which show to attend, medicine a trend I’m feeling more and more lately in this wonderful city, vialis 40mg but when Solids is in town, you can’t miss it. They played Great Scott just in November, so the night felt familiar like seeing a local act but foreign enough to create an excitement in your gut. Helping fill the bill were Soft Fangs and Pachangacha (yes I have to double-check my spelling each time I write this out).
It was my first time face to face with Soft Fangs – a band I had heard much about. Soft Fangs is the perfect name for this duo of guitar and drums: they are soft but also rough around the edges. Think of a little bit of Elliott Smith with a sprinkle of the slower Radiohead tracks. Mix these together in your processor on the fine setting, and you have yourself Soft Fangs. The delicacy of John Lutkevich’s guitar work is masterful. His fingers effortlessly picked, appearing not to move much at all, but create beautiful, sweet tones. The two grooved to the beats of their own drum (and guitar!), but the crowd kept at bay, standing about 20 feet from the stage. It was strange to see this gap between the band and the crowd, but the setting still felt intimate thanks to Soft Fangs’ tuneage.
Pachangacha switched up the pace immensely from Soft Fangs. They reminded me of the chaotic noisiness of Grass is Green but to a bit faster pace. Even the lead singer had a similar stage presence to Andy Chervenak, which included strange jokes in a mumbling tone. It seemed that a lot of the crowd at Great Scott was there to welcome Pachangacha home from their national tour with Solids. Although the audience was excitedly movin’ and groovin’ to these dudes, there was something missing for me. It started during one track where the lead singer sung in an out-of-pitch high voice. It felt chaotic, but not pleasantly so. I will say that out of the three bands of the evening, they appeared to have the most fun on stage. Members attempted flips and rolled around, and the drummer showed some insane chops behind the kit, pouring his heart and soul through his drumsticks into the drums.
If you aren’t spinning Solids’ new LP Blame Confusion, you are lacking potential happiness in your life. It’s one of the best albums so far in 2014. Seeing them live is another level of their records. They almost perfectly replicate all the layers of noise, guitar parts, loops and drumbeats that you think it can’t be possible from just two band members playing from the stage.
Solids proves that it is possible. These guys get a lot of Japandroids comparisons, but they make Japandroids look like a bunch of lame-ass weenies to be quite honest. They’re loud. They’re relentless. They are SOLID. (sorry) The night ended perfectly as Solids performed “Traces” off Blame Confusion. “Just let the wind blow. Just let it carry me home,” Xavier Germain Poitras sings as this Boston show marks the end of their tour, sending them home to Montréal that night and sending the crowd back to their homes, wherever that may be.
Stay tuned for a special video with Solids later this week on Allston Pudding.
