Longwave + Wheat + Bon Savants - Great Scott (Allston, MA; Jan. 24, 2009)

As openers for a triple-billed show, Bon Savants flowed. Without pausing for the first three songs, they glided onto stage and proved their standing as one of Boston’s best live bands. We haven’t seen much of them this past year beyond a free show with the French Kicks, and the early crowd at Great Scott was ready for a return. On their solid 2006 debut, Post Rock Defends the Nation, the sound is muted and safe. Live, Bon Savants become much more layered, especially with the recent addition of Tia Carioli on keyboards. The added depth to their music only increases the harmony found between Thom Moran’s deep, probing voice and Kevin Haley’s precise guitar. Their performance of “Destroyer” particularly showcased the band’s stylistic shift, and signals good things for their anticipated new album. The end of their set brought crowd favorite, “Between the Moon and the Ocean,” with its infectious, enigmatic line, “Oh, you kiss like a Russian.” Don’t be scared of their uber-serious name and songs with allusions to Oppenheimer; Bon Savants play a great show. Two mega downers, though: the bright light from a video camera intermittingly blazing everything in the club, and no medium sized t-shirts. Seriously, indie rock and only larges? 

For the second time during the past twelve months (see melophobe’s coverage of the first), locally based Wheat tested out a range of songs from their upcoming release Black Ink, White Ink. As we noted during a recent interview, Wheat is no longer the young, self-conscious band mixing languid beats, white noise and timid lyrics. Turning from the style that defined their first two releases Medeiros and Hope and Adams, the new material is confident, up-beat and pop friendly. In fact, “Don’t I Hold You,” the only song from their older catalogue, sounded remarkably out of place – insecure lyrics over a somber, repetitive beat. As singer Scott Levesque noted during the set, “There’s a lot of cynicism out there. We’re about the love.” They’re also about having a fun time on a Saturday night, inciting a dance party with Daft Punk’s “One More Time,” and distributing noisemakers for an on-stage crowd sing-along.

Showing our provincial nature, we focused our excitement on locals Bon Savants and Wheat. Headliners Longwave, touring in support of their fourth album Secrets Are Sinister, tripped our cynical meter with the following items: tight jeans, long hair, New York address and at least 30 guitar pedals. But to our amazement and delight, Longwave delivered a crunching (“Satellites”), ringing (“I Don’t Dare”), and melodic (“Shining Hours”) set. Remarkably, they make these stylistic switches without emptying emotion or energy, a significant testimony to their talent and experience. Do see Longwave this Spring with OK GO and Block Party. We’ll be there. And so will Longwave’s number one Boston fan, who stood front and center, beaming with a euphoric grin frozen on his face. Periodically jumping up and down while yelling, “You guys rock!,” he made the whole front row bounce along with the bass line. Epitomizing the unreasonably ecstatic live music fan, his infectious enthusiasm left us grinning all the way home. And since that’s what we’re all about at melophobe, we can’t wait to see him at the next show.

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