How to describe the music that Swedish-based band Little Dragon creates? The genre-defying sounds pulsing off the stage on this sold-out night in San Francisco defied classification in any simple sense. Using 80’s electro-R&B as their core sound, these four Swedes brought the packed, hyped-up crowd at the Independent into their unique world of synth-washed outer space beats and minimalist, mid-tempo pop. The band took the stage to a welcoming cheer, backed by a set of surrealist cartoon artwork dominated by sharp teeth and weird eyeballs. Thus the stage was set for an otherworldly show.
Opening with the slow synth build of “A New,” the band warmed us up with a taste of sparse beats and the dreamy, echo-laced vocals of Yukimi Nagano. Considering the lack of a lead instrument in the band (which has no guitar), the pulsing keyboards of Håkan Wirenstrand defined the sound and vibe of every song with their bubbling attacks and moody swells. A new song with the catchy lyrics “I wish I had what you had” evoked the pulsing, ethereal flow of composer Sven Libaek, a fellow Scandinavian (made famous by The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou sountrack). “Blinking Pigs” saw Nagano singing detached, yet soulful lyrics, and the open space in the music complimented her nicely, leaving plenty of room for her intimate voice to shine through. It was also interesting how over the course of the night, there were maybe two or three solos, taken on keys. It was clear that this band’s primary focus was the feel of the music, with the instruments serving to evoke soundscapes and tonal colors.
As the show continued, I expected the music to build from the consistently langid dance rhythms to something more, but each song continued to keep a similar formula of icy synth-beats. At one point, a drum machine took over the live drumming of Erik Bodin, and you could feel a cool New Order-inspired dance party on the verge of breaking out. Things reached a head during the mildly funky “Looking Glass,” my favorite tune of the night. Nagano’s voice turned into an instrument, exploring melodic lines and textures over a decidedly Prince-sounding synth line. But the party never quite got started, as the band followed it up with a strange euro-techno house groove that stretched to infinity with mildly boring, minimalist beats. If the band’s dynamics fluctuated at all from the languorous, mid-tempo vibe of the night, things may have really gotten going. But unfortunately, the band waited till the final song of the night to break things open with “Runabout,” a jumpy, melodic track with a great snare-driven beat. This inspired some dancing amongst the crowd here and there, but for the most part, it was too late to bring the energy back to the room. The encore was a fun time with the band turning out a sparse techno party, ice cold in its lack of emotion – it felt like floating around in cold deep-space. This zoned us all out sufficiently before the music descended into an ambient fade-out outro to end the night.
While the sound of Little Dragon is gorgeous in its vibey execution on record, it’s difficult to maintain the energy of a crowd over the course of a two hour set without some shift in dynamics. The band’s bare-bones drum/bass/keys approach leaves Nagano’s beautiful voice with the responsibility to carry the music single-handedly. This worked for a while, but my level of engagement waned eventually – there was just not much for her voice to play off of musically. Regardless, Little Dragon succeeded in doing what they set out to do – their spacious, otherworldly soundscapes drew us into a unique musical realm that only they inhabit. And when its clear that you’re the only ones who do what you do, that’s certainly something to be proud of.
