“Like a robber in the night, I’m going to get you. Nobody knows even how loud his heart gets.” – “How Loud Your Heart Gets” from Lucius’s Wildewoman.
Image courtesy of ilovelucius.com
There is a lot to be desired in the modern state of pop music with female pop performances and productions heavily reliant on computers and synth-electro beats to cover what are mostly mediocre vocals and lyrics. Rarely do we hear a “less is more” mantra when it comes to pop music in the modern digital music age.
A lot has changed since the girl group revolution from the sixties but one band may be bringing that flare back to the 21st century with its own fusion of pop and folk.
Lucius is a band I have been following since I first saw, and spoke with them, at Edgefest ’13. I was immediately introduced to the band live before I had heard much from them and before the release of their first LP Wildewoman. I was immediately struck with a sense of synchronicity in their visually appealing style on stage and the way lead singers Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe sing in harmony to every line they have written. They literally sing as one. Since then I have been hooked on this band.
This past weekend Lucius played on the South Stage at TURF (Toronto Urban Roots Festival) and their set is easily one of my favorites from the packed lineup of artists.
The audience and I knew we were in for a good time as soon as the girls got on stage with matching yellow dresses, white stockings and opened their set to the more down tempo folk ballad track “Go Home,” which is essentially a song that is all about facing the aftermath of an arduous breakup. It may have seemed a bit off-putting to open a show with such a heavy track but once you witnessed several fans co-singing along to “I don’t need you anyway, I don’t need you, go home” I knew that this was going to be something special. And it was.
When the more heavy tracks “Go Home” and “Don’t just Sit There” were played they got right into what makes this band pop (pun intended) with “Genevieve.” Lucius was definitely successful in infusing just the right amount of energy in the sun-soaked crowd.
Lucius at TURF
The rest of their set was a mix of girl group funk with some strumming folk to more eclectic and dance heavy pop. The synchronicity within the entire band is truly something you need to witness live. Their 45-minute set consisted of:
- Go Home
- Don’t Just Sit There
- Genevieve
- Tempest
- Nothing Ordinary
- How Loud Your Heart Gets
- Wildewoman
- Turn It Around
The last track became a fusion of “Turn It Around” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and what could be more fun than that?
Watching this Brooklyn, New York quintet perform live is a lot like going through the five stages of grief. You experience almost all of the emotions one could possibly feel and at the end it’s fully a cathartic experience.
Lucius at TURF
Lucius has truly released a strong album in Wildewoman (Mom + Pop 2013) and I am always excited to see them when they are back in town.I can’t wait to see what they come out with next.
For more on Lucius visit ilovelucius.
