Icarus & Occident

Added on by Devil Whale.

For crying out loud, get it right
Your love’s just a ghost in the night
Close your eyes and it disappears

Much like any romance worth telling, I fell in love with The Devil Whale accidentally. I stumbled upon this track much like any other, by swimming deeply in a sea of music blogs and mixtapes. It should be no surprise that the song quickly found it’s place within my Summer 2011 playlist (I make a 40 track playlist every season, every year – I swear it captures memories and experiences better than a photo album). I couldn’t get enough of it – so I purchased the album. It still wasn’t enough. The next week I went to see Bryan John Appleby perform at The High Dive – and who should open for him? The Devil Whale.

Brinton Jones and his friends took the stage devil-may-care and with a strum from his guitar I realized I was about to be moved. A lot. The Devil Whale brings “shimmering psych-pop that bounces with 60s/70s nostalgia, folky grit and rock n’ roll swagger…” with heart. Originally just a few close friends from Salt Lake City, the band is now a fully fleshed-out quintet. Lyrically genuine. Dynamically tight. So tight that I – and everyone else, for that matter – couldn’t help but shout at every jolting hook and deliberate pause. One priceless gem was their cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Rock ‘n Roll,” which blended with the set so well it was as if it’d finally met its maker. They’re currently touring the west coast and are ridiculously fun to see live. Seattle, they’re coming back to see us at The Tractor on August 23rd. See you there? I’ll be the one dancing in the front row.