Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Young Empires and Swimm at Neck of the Woods – A Concert Review

          We were among those who took advantage of an attractive pairing of bands in San Francisco on September 12, 2015. Swimm opened for Young Empires. While there, we met Tyler, who is a long-time fan of Young Empires. With the knowledge he held about the band, Tyler was invited to write this review. So far, the email box hasn’t registered his review, which we still believe would be one of the most knowledgeable and emotionally invested posts to grace Indie Obsessive.
     But while we may not have the background of Tyler, we have the pictures, some songs to post, and the time to write a short review.  
    Young Empires is in this week’s email from Next Big Sound, which is a prediction engine that mines data reflecting activities at bands' social media sites (Facebook, Twitter…) and streaming opportunities (Soundcloud, Spotify…) and then uses the data to predict the “next big sound.” The assumption is that if a band has a Facebook page (as one example) that suddenly receives a greater number of “likes” than other potential up-and-coming bands, it is evidence that the band is headed toward a popularity explosion. According to Next Big Sound, Young Empires is treading upwardly. At Neck of the Woods, we understood why that would be true. The Toronto-based band was polished in its performance of a setlist that understandably had an emphasis on songs from the album released eight days earlier. Our favorites were the songs “The Gates” and “Cover Your Eyes.” But since those songs have already been posted on Indie Obsessive, other songs are posted below.

     “Sunshine” by Young Empires

     “So Cruel” by Young Empires



     Swimm generated some excitement, particularly during their performances of the songs “Belly” and “Beverly Hills.” The song “Beverly Hills” has a feel of War on Drugs in terms of both vocals and guitar adeptness. “Belly” goes for a different feel and is our favorite by the band.
     “Beverly Hills” by Swimm

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