Concert Review: Lina Tullgren Turns Rough Trade Into A Free Cell
With a long, green overcoat, Elton John glasses, and her periwinkle guitar, Lina Tullgren felt like The Riddler of sound. She was a cartooned embodiment of alienation; dancing with her music as if it was her company in misery. She is a rather quiet, meek character whose fierce intelligence shines in verses from her new EP, Free Cell. At Rough Trade, she brought with her a stringed, mini-orchestra that backed her up in showing how ethereal it is to be eclectic.
There is something heavenly and glamorous to weirdness. In this sense, it explains why we love vintage shops or cannot stop gawking at an onlooker who stands out for their colorful, glitzy outfit. Our eyes, like our spirits, watch people whom are unashamed to be loud and different because, I believe, it is who we all are. We are not meant to be walls or wallflowers. Instead, we are meant to be open, of which Lina Tullgren seems to concur.
Lina Tullgren // Bad At Parties (Official Video)
From “Golden Babyland” to “Saiddone,” Tullgren moves her voice like the smaller thread in a blanket of feelings. She completely conveys what it is to have a world of emotions and thoughts building within you but the only words you seem to be able to say about it is, “It’s cool.” Why do we quiet ourselves? In adding violins, her music felt like a breakout. She has no qualms buzzing, fuzzing, and straining a chord to make a song sound off. In fact, it is what helps and furthers Tullgren’s mission to show “ being off” is, probably, the best way to live “on.” Normalcy is one of the cruelest lies humanity has constructed of itself, and it comes off in Tullgren’s social commentaries, like “Bad At Parties.”
Lina Tullgren // Saiddone (Official Video)
Frankly, I never fit in, even though I was always popular. My entire life has been defined by happily living as an outcast and oddly becoming successful because of it. What I love about Tullgren is that her music is search to be happy as “the one” deemed too “awkward” for joy. For More Information On Lina Tullgren Click Here.
