Mountain Oasis 2013 presents a diverse mix of electronic music both old and new. While there are many established crowd-pleasers like NIN and Bassnectar, it’s hard to miss the opportunity to see emerging artists. This is the music that is happening now and although it will always be around there is no substitute for experiencing it when the scene is alive. Do your best to catch these artists.
Bosnian Rainbows
Bosnian Rainbows are a collaboration of former Le Bucherettes vocalist Teri Gender Bender, The Mars Volta guitarist/front man Omar RodrÃguez-López and drummer Deantoni Parks, along with keyboardist Nicci Kasper who co-writes with Parks as Dark Angels. Their eponymous album of 2013 is a rather disjointed collection of new wave, dark wave, and post-punk. Those familiar with the former projects will find very few similarities to Rainbows. Teri Gender Bender showcases her vocal versatility as the album shifts into different gears and RodrÃguez-López explores the new wave frontier coupled with the occasional avant garde explosion. Eli’s soft beginning gradually cultivates a tension that doesn’t reconcile until three minutes into the song and it sets a dark and melancholy tone that is relieved here and there for the first half of the album and almost completely abandoned from Morning Sickness onward as it heads for new wave waters. Bosnian Rainbows is the next phase for these young artists and it has all the makings for a great live show – 7:00pm, Saturday at Exploreashville.com Arena
Delorean
Although Delorean’s first full length album was released nearly a decade ago, the direction in which they have been heading has offered listeners a new and refreshing sound. Delorean (album), Into the Plateau and Transatlantic KK were straight four-on-the-floor dance rock albums in the vein of Franz Ferdinand, but Subiza (2010) is filled with euphoric, electronic dance music comparable to Crystal Fighters or Holy Ghost!. In some ways Subiza bridges the gap between the early albums and Apar (2013). The original sound is there buried under layers of synths and triggers on Grow and Real Love but it resonates as something being left behind. Enter: Apar – an album with the complexity and depth of a band rediscovering themselves and worlds apart from their original sound. Wherever they are heading from here is anyone’s guess but – given their current track record – I’m looking forward to finding out. (Update: Delorean has been forced to cancel their Mountain Oasis 2013 appearance due to being virtually kidnapped after a show in Mexico. Yes, you read that correctly.)
Jessie Ware
I love Jessie Ware. The 29-year-old singer-songwriter has dropped a hit record in 2013 that manages to revive late 70’s to early 80’s soul and merge it with modern hip hop. The results are more than impressive. Devotion is the album Alicia Keys missed well wide of the mark. Prior to Devotion Ware was a vocalist for Joker and SBTRKT (with whom she released a the 2011 single, Valentine). Since then she has also contributed vocals for Disclosure on Settle (2013) – Confess to Me. The material is already there and given her experience performing live as a vocalist for other artists I’m anticipating a quality show. – 6:45pm, Sunday at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.
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