Synthed-out Bliss: Miike Snow returns to the TLA

Miike Snow | Photo by Matthew Shaver for WXPN | brightloud.com

In the ever evolving landscape that is modern music, four years off is a lifetime. So, for the Miike Snow fans that have been holding their breath, the release of a new album (almost exactly four years to the date after their last one) is cause for a large collective sigh of relief. Their spunky electro-pop is nowhere near as dusty as their last album, and the gang themselves seems none the worse for wear.

I like when a band is clearly genuinely excited to be somewhere. The name dropping the city where they are, that’s flash to get cheers. It’s by the attitude with which they carry themselves on stage, the interactions with each other, and with the people watching. I especially enjoy it when they take a brief moment to mug for the camera, which vocalist Andrew Wyatt certainly did.

Sporting a flashy light show, which is a nightmare to take pictures in, but is stunning to watch, the Swedish group has lost none of what really makes their music sparkle: electro-pop synthed out bliss. Favoring live synths over laptops, their sound was as rich and full as ever. The diverse, and sold out, crowd was a testament to the broad reach of their music, and though they may have seemed like they were taking some time to get back in to the groove of things, not a beat was missed where it counted.

Openers Beau seem poised to blaze a path of their own. Hailing from New York, but signed to the wonderful French label Kitsune´ for their debut album (due out next week), the duo eschew grunge tinged pop-rock (think Bully if they slowed it down a bit). Vocally rich and sonically fun, even if they play it a little safe, there is a lot to love. As they become more comfortable with the fact that they are awesome, Heather Golden and Emma Rose Jenny will surely make waves in the near future.