I like to keep the weekends lively, if I can manage it. The week can be overwhelmingly mundane with its paperwork and phone calls and so on. If I don’t pause to breathe in a little art and music and life at the end of it all things could get existential… and not in a good way. The highlight of this weekend was an unexpected solo performance at Long Wong’s from Frederick Huang, frontman for Of the Painted Choir, one of our bands “We Should Have Covered in 2012.”
I have been enjoying the tracks available through Of the Painted Choir’s Soundcloud page for some time. The group’s EP Lula can be found here along with a couple other tracks released at later dates: the airy and innocent song “Mr. Bumblebee” and the fun, not-so-innocent “D.I.T.M.O.L.”
Of the Painted Choir makes ethereal, desert pop. They combine a nostalgic pop warmth with a western sense of vastness to create something both sweet and slightly ominous like songs remembered from a dream. The songs hold a strong sense of style. Some people cringe when you say a band has style because it implies something transitory or temporal. These people are stupid. Style gives shape. It provides direction. The soft touches and subtle nuances found in each song give them their unique style. Of the Painted Choir are thoughtful and thorough when it comes to songcraft. `
Catching Fred solo really made the weekend for me. Now I’m even more excited to catch the whole band live at the Rogue on February 23rd. Mark your calendar, this band is a must see.
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| Frederick Huang performing at Long Wong’s. Photo by Mark Anderson |
