Major Lazer’s slogan is “Guns don’t kill people, lazers do” — and its sound is even more catchy. Major Lazer’s big beat reggae sound comes to Cat’s Cradle on March 30.
Before everybody from the delightfully approachable indie-pop of Raleigh's The Rosebuds to Xiu Xiu's avant-garde brand of art-punk gear up for highly anticipated (not to mention highly affordable) spring concerts, you, the concert-goer, better plan ahead.
The ever-increasing fan base of London-based The xx can tell you that the late-March Cradle show has been sold out for weeks, and while this is the first sob story of the concert season, I'm sure last-minute concert-goers will miss out on plenty more shows.
Unless current music trends pull a complete 180-degree turn (dance-punk revival, anyone?) Yeasayer, Major Lazer and Beach House are going to draw the biggest crowds.
Beach House (May 1, Cat's Cradle), my personal pick of these three by a long-shot, is a Baltimore-based dream pop band that recently got on the map with the release of its third LP, "Teen Dream."
Far from the only band capitalizing on a chill, serene sound and atmospheric female back-up vocals, Beach House is still the best of its kind. Lead single "Norway" echoes effortlessly into the listener's subconscious as its reverberating, gentle guitars emit calming chords behind a vocal performance that shows what this dream-pop thing is all about.
Yeasayer (April 4, Cat's Cradle), riding high from positive reviews for sophomore LP "Odd Blood," will surely sell out in the not-too-distant future. Behind upbeat, pop-influenced lyrical rhythms, Yeasayer combines influences from countless genres to create one of those welcome unique-yet-familiar experiences.
The immediacy of tracks like "O.N.E." mean even the most casual fan can enjoy everything from the synth to overdubbed drum tracks and leave the Cradle satisfied. With diction similar to Ra Ra Riot vocalist Wes Miles, I can't help but remember how surprisingly deep and rewarding their September set was, and expect the same from Yeasayer.
"Guns don't kill people, lazers do." Major Lazer (March 30, Cat's Cradle) is very excited about its admittedly awesome slogan, and this big-beat reggae sound promises to deliver the most deadly dance party of the spring.
A collaborative effort from two British producers, Diplo and Switch, and countless Jamaican vocalists, the best way to describe Lazer's sound is if Basement Jaxx had a unified Jamaican theme to its psychotically high-energy dance sound.
These three indie-approved hotlist artists are only the tip of the spring's selection. Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra, the current incarnation of post-apocalyptic revolutionaries Godspeed You! Black Emperor, won't provide the same pleasant or danceable atmosphere as the season's headliners, but they will provide a theatrical, memorable set that I promise will receive more coverage closer to the time.
Finally, for those who missed out on xx tickets (or just didn't understand what all the fuss from this minimalist, R&B-influenced band was about in the first place), Local 506 provides a great alternative.
As expansive as The xx is intimate, Shearwater (March 25, Local 506) promises to put on a great show. "Corridors" is a tour-de-force, replete with epic drum crescendos, chaotic guitar feedback and thundering vocals painting a lyrically rich picture.
Then, on new single "Castaways," Shearwater returns to a calmer, yet inexplicably intense, sound that made 2006's album "Rook" a masterpiece. Jonathan Meiburg (also of Okkervil River) has a powerful voice and knows how to use it. Speaking of power, drummer Thor Harris provides the perfect and necessary accents to Meiburg's expansive and theatrical range.
To summarize this entire preview, this spring is so rich with promising shows that on the night when one sells out months in advance, there is a more exciting one going on right down the road.
J.J. Lang hits the high notes of the local music scene each week for The Chapel Hill Herald. Send e-mail to JJLang@email.unc.edu
