Wesafari : Promotional Preview

One of the conflicts that often comes up with discovering great new bands is the one where you become torn between keeping the find a secret to cherish in private or trying to share the discovery with the rest of the world, possibly turning the band into an megalomaniacal beast monster that you will never be able to afford to see again. After all, you remember when you were able to get in to the small dive bar shows really cheap, sometimes even for free. You remember even being able to meet the band after the show whilst other bands played, having a beer with the members, and being able to tell them in person just how cool you thought they were.

However, you can never really tell whether fate will shine down on the band and catapult them to even at least cult status. I remember seeing a band in Philadelphia called The Raging Teens. They were a rockabilly band with a scorching hottie on lead guitar named Miss Amy. As I watched them play, possibly tipsy from multiple Yeunglings, possibly entranced by Miss Amy, I could have sworn they were destined for super stardom. I haven’t heard from them since.

I was recently at a Northwest Music Showcase at Neumo’s in Seattle. There, I saw a band called Wesafari. I came to the gig because my brother’s band, the Senate Arcade, was playing and I wanted to show my support. Besides, they are a great band and put on a great show. Plus, I got free beers in the dressing room. High Lifes, but what are you gonna do? End of plug. Anyhoo, we were able to hear some noise from the dressing room two doors down and found a group of clean cut kids harmonizing as if they were about to go Christmas caroling. When they actually took the stage, what I found was something altogether different.

Wesafari plays what seems to be called `space tundra’, a mix of acoustic and electronic elements that is ethereal and room-filling. Pinback and Notwist are two bands they cite as playing the same type of music. The five tracks on the promotional CD they were giving away at the show are going to be on their forthcoming January release Alaska, the other two are bonus tracks. “Whale Boy” shares similarities with Radiohead’s “Everything in its Right Place”, yet is more compelling, especially when the vocalist sings a bridge of “animal sensitivity, etc.” before the sick, and I mean sick drummer takes off. My brother got it right when he said the drummer is a mix of Dismemberment Plan, Drum n’ Bass, and coke. The rest of the band is just as talented and energetic on stage. And judging by the songs I heard live that are not on the EP, especially the song “From Glacier to Sea”, the forthcoming album is going to be a must have. Not only do they have a great sound, but they can also sing and harmonize beautifully. So, now that I’ve finished the review, I guess I’ve made my decision concerning the conflict of this new band; I want to share the find with the rest of the world. The band and the world deserve it.

Similar Albums:
Pinback- Summer in Abaddon
Radiohead- Kid A
Death Cab for Cutie- Transatlanticism