The BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Series is killing it this year! It really is. Its free concerts are attracting great, big name artists. Moreover, the setting, Prospect Park Bandshell, is a spacious, clear domain where you will find people laying out to soak the sun. The easy, unpretentious vibe was perfect to listen to some cool, indie rock.
My favorite thing about the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Series is that each concert has its own essence. Although the setting and welcoming ambiance remains untouched, each concert, depending on the artist, produces a certain sensory and sentimental experience. Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings was like traveling back in time to the local hop and dancing unabashedly. Tame Impala was a psychedelic trip into the mind. On June 23, BRIC allowed people to enter an illustrious, relaxed trip with friends through enlightened rock n’ roll. Because there were three acts, I will divide each band review accordingly.
The Ducktails were an excellent choice for an opening act. They have a wispy, gentle sound that lightens the mood and a very insular performance style. They are just about expressing and elevating their music like, much of indie rockers. They approach their guitars and drums with a focused precision, trying to assure that peace is felt. Lead singer Michael Mondaline’s voice is so easy that peace will definitely be absorbed. His voice reverberates like a calm guide walking you through your nature stroll, which was enriching for the park setting.
When you hear the Ducktails they invoke sentiments of casual, thoughtful fun. Their everyday-like mellowness blended with the young crowd of, mostly, Millennials. As I looked around to see this generation of youth eating healthy meals and laying out on neon-colored blankets, I felt a blissful contentment. This is when I realized the “epic-ness” of the BRIC concert series. In Sharon Jones I dance, in Tame Impala I envisioned, and with its June 23 acts, I absorbed the whimsical, relaxing sounds.
Alvvays, literally, embodies the clear, blue ocean through music that waves upon your soul like its sand. Okay, that was fluffy. Yet, they made me feel like fluff with the oceanic dreams they strummed.
By the time Alvvays came to the stage, the youthful, breeziness of the night was solidified. Alvvays oozes Millennial visions of strength and optimism. Lead Singer Molly Rankin has an innate firmness to her presence that makes her seem like the quintessential “rock-tress”. As she sings and strums, she does so with a sly smile like, she knows she has charmed audiences and she has. She reminds me of the cool, bad girl, you see in movies: she’s young with a subtle mischief.
What I enjoyed most about Alvvays was the psychedelic “pick me-up” they offered through their performance. While Ducktails felt like a calm gust of wind, Alvvays amped up the indie rock-pop energy. Their songs are “surfy” with “trippy” interjections of acoustics that give listeners a hit of colorful, mindful visuals.
I loved Big Thief. Lead Singer Adrianne Lenker has a sultry sadness to her vocals that is addictive. It is like her vocals are beautiful pillars of salt dropping unto the band’s instrumentals.
I think in nearly every review I proclaim my love for sad songs. Yet, Big Thief is not about sad music. Sure they have their depressive odes, but their songs bring about a quiet empowerment. Like Masterpiece below, Lenker sings sweetly about acknowledging the beauty of a life lived in love. Followed by sweet, soft instrumentals, the music comes of like a humbled sadness. You are tearful from beauty and not disappointment. Add on the natural warmth and friendliness of the whole band, and you become grateful to life, as well.
Big Thief was a perfect culmination for the night. They were young, fresh, and open, which were exactly the sentiments of the night and the type of people BRIC attracts. The concert series feels like a big musical hug. It holds you with warmth and positivity. Moreover, with the fantastic, sunny weather we have been having this summer, you should definitely check out the BRIC concert series.
Masterpiece
Ducktails, ALVVAYS, and Big Thief played on June 23. For More Information on BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! concert series Click Here.
