Concert Review: Rann Turn Rough Trade NYC Into A Berlin Club
Have you ever seen an 80’s German film? They are this weird blend of dark and colorful; where characters peruse through industrial streets as if to find beating heats under bright street lights. Though hailing from Brazil and forming in Brooklyn, Rann’s concert splashed with a Berlin aesthetic and a celebration of psychedelia’s core: the guitar.
The success of Rann’s show is derived from their capacity to make an acoustic melody feel like a musical spaceship. Music’s purpose is founded on it being transformative through being transportive. As I looked at the crowd with glitter jackets and enough long, lush hair to provide for every bald head in America, Rann definitely took you to a seedier but glamorous planet. In that planet, youth were celebrated, bad decisions were a given, but a good time was a guarantee. Because their songs echo the late 70’s/ early 80’s of psych-pop, they summoned my German, indie film reference because Rann churn their machine-like hooks for their elusiveness. You cannot help but wonder what is real or not as Apoena Frota’s vocals swing like an anchor settling amongst cruising synth-waves.
Frota’s voice is perfect for Rann’s progressive punk, indie pop dreaminess. He knows how to give the emotional angst and aloofness that is required to vocally bring together these genres and make them feel like a hallucination. Tracks such as “Renegade Holiday”, “Sunset”, and “Copycat” have a built-in tension that keeps you dancing out of feeling both unsafe and exhilarated. Frota’s vocals has a connective power that left audience members feeling bare; jumping up and down like they were drowning in Rann’s chords. It is was a strange impact that made me realize Rann is “cultish” in affect. When you go to a Rann concert you are not seeing people that “like” their music, as much as a mass of persons who listen to their sound because it makes them like themselves. Thus, Click Here For Information on Rann And To See if you are ready to join the Rann Following.
