February 21, 2013
Toro Y Moi, Dog Bite and Wild Belle Play Boston's Paradise Rock Club
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 3 MIN.
On Feb. 15, electronic artist, Chazwick Bundick, better known as Toro Y Moi, dream pop musician Phil Jones, aka Dog Bite, and the indie rock band Wild Belle, played a solid show at Boston's Paradise Rock Club.
First to take stage was Dog Bite, a young Georgia-based dream pop artist who has yet to put out a full-length album. So far Jones has released an EP and tracks here and there. Not being too familiar with his music, it was surprising to see just how tight Jones and his band were live. The group had a cohesive flow and played the eight or so songs professionally. The group played one of its most popular tracks, "You're Not That Great" - a lovely jam that's perfect to soundtrack any summer day.
Next up was Wild Belle, an indie rock band from Chicago that consists of siblings Elliot and Natalie Bergman. The duo had other members on sax, keyboard, drums, guitar and bass and played tracks from their 2012 debut record "Isles." Natalie Bergman's breathy vocals sent images of Amy Winehouse through my mind but the band's bohemian vibe and reggae sound soon dashed any hopes that the group will come anywhere close to emulating the past singer's sound. The band's first song was fantastic but as they progressed their stage presence descended and the songs lost charm and lacked the infectious hooks the audience craved, especially after the fantastic show Dog Bite put on.
But soon enough Toro Y Moi, who is touring his third studio album "Anything in Return," appeared on stage and launched into his set. He played a number of cuts of the latest record, including the stunning "So Many Details" and the fantastic jam "Say That." It was interesting and surprising to see that Bundick had a live band, which really brought the songs to life. The crisp drums, funky bass and powerful guitars lifted songs from his previous records "Causers of This" and "Underneath the Pine" into a new level.