The 63 Days of Love Tour embarked Washington DC’s 6th and I Synagogue Monday night. The outfit from Adelaide, South Australia is fresh from performing their latest single 63 Days live on Conan September 20th. They are joined with Half the Animal and Magic Giant.
This concert took place at the historic 6th and I Synagogue. It’s a unique place for a rock concert. The sound resonates well and I’ve never seen a rock concert seated at a pew before (well at least between sets). It’s a great idea! I’ve always noticed how great the acoustics are inside of synagogues and in my case cathedral style churches. You can hear every detail. They’re designed for it.
Half the Animal was the first band to take the stage. They sound more like a rock band during their live performances than they do listening to their studio tracks. Songs like IYWML and Bad Bad Love, have a pop-rock sound. The closest band that I can relate would be maybe Mooron 5. They sounded good. Their song Babylon was euphoric!
The next band Magic Giant is in a league of their own. They’re really progressive, as in they use an array of instrumentation. Everything from a banjo, cello, violin, mandolin and acoustic guitar to the lead singer pounding rhythms on a floor tom. Magic Giant has what I would call a spiritual sound without being religious. It’s like an epiphany about life and not even thinking about death, like how most religions seem to emphasize. That’s the best way I would describe their single Set On Fire. It’s oxygen and life being lifted. They put on a fantastic performance. They sound great and are really engaging. They enjoy sharing the feel-good sound and expression they create.
Atlas Genius first hit the scene when their single Trojans came out of nowhere and became an instant hit. It’s a catchy song that definitely has replay-ability. Their sound has a nu-80’s feel. Which is great. It’s one of my favorite genres. They performed a Tears for Fears cover Rule the World which shows 80’s influence and backs my theory. There’s a lot of bands from Australia that I have seen and reviewed who embrace this sound. A few that come to mind are Miami Horror, Empire of the Sun, Gotye, maybe even the Bag Raiders.
The song When It Was Now is a great example of nu-80’s. It’s fantastic! Other than being feel-good break-up music I also interpret it as just to enjoy the moment because you’re going to look back at it one day in wonderment. It’s like the song is a timing device to remember where you were and what you were doing when you first heard it. Atlas Genius has a number of great songs, especially for only being around for 3-4 years. They’ve produced two albums (When It Was Now and Inanimate Objects) with hits like Back Seat, Trojans, When It Was Now, Symptoms, If So, and Where I Belong. They have a defined sound that I can see developing and producing a lot of great music. 63 days their latest release shows their going in a great direction.
Keith Jeffery’s vocals were in key. Keith can sing live just as good as the album sounds without any studio or post-production assistance. Atlas Genius has some great electronic dynamics. They debuted a new song Operate that I can’t wait to hear released. There’s a moment where there’s a prominent rest giving just enough time to hear a detailed electronic effect. It gives the sound great dynamics. Another example is their song Molecules.
This was a great performance. If you have a chance to see any of these bands I would recommend it.
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