The Soundtrack of Our Lives is the best band you’ve never heard of.
Aptly described as psych-pop, TSOOL is savvy and talented enough to pay homage to experimental music of the ’60s without coming off as derivative or tired. The members play music that is important to them, filtered through a modern perspective. Their striking lack of pretense may be representative of this Swedish band’s candor, or simply its absolute confidence in its music.
The mildly superfluous sextet is fronted by singer and sometime sitarist Ebbot Lundberg, a massive bear of a man with a penchant for Christ poses. He defies the traditional role of heartthrob, instead embracing the noble calling of spiritual leader for this very talented band. Never a slave to fashion, the indomitable Lundberg appeared on stage Saturday night at Little Brothers in what appeared to be a kurta, which failed to disguise his elemental girth, waving a cane maniacally at a delighted crowd.
As magnetic and talented as Lundberg is, the obvious driving forces of the band are guitarists Ian Person, whose frenzied play and high energy stage presence evokes a sell-out-era Pete Townshend, and Matthias Barjed, whose precision and skill are formidable. The band bases its rhythm on Barjed’s supremely confident guitar work, which allows for improvisation by other members of the band without losing the foundation of a song.
On Saturday night, TSOOL headlined for the Caesars and PALOALTO, two young groups anxious to be embraced by college audiences, pursuing the goal in very different ways.
PALOALTO is a moderately rocking quartet fronted by angsty singer James Grundler. While certainly derivative of Thom Yorke’s falsetto, Grundler’s vocals fit well in PALOALTO’s guitar-driven sound, which is carefully cultivated and precise.The Caesars’ volatile set stood in stark contrast to PALOALTO’s manicured one. It progressed unimaginatively from that point, becoming increasingly wild. The music was fast and earnest, providing some of the energy that had been lacking from PALOALTO. The Caesars exited a rocking success, although there was no rush to form a queue to purchase the band’s album.
By the time TSOOL took the stage, there was a conspicuous danger it might be overshadowed by the surprisingly talented opening acts. Any anxiety was erased in the first few seconds of the set, as the band opened with the heartbreaking ballad “Broken Imaginary Time.” A methodic and hypnotic organ drives this song, which Lundberg paints over with palpable sorrow. Demonstrative of the band’s communal nature, the track was actually written by the drummer, Fredrik Sandsten, as all six band members are responsible for writing and developing their own songs.
Throughout its thoroughly satisfying set, TSOOL alternated between beatific ballads and up-tempo rockers with surprising ease and success. While concentrating primarily on 2002’s excellent domestic debut, “Behind the Music,” the group did make some occasional forays into its older, Gothenburg, Sweden-era catalog – to mixed results. “Instant Repeater ’99,” a cut from the band’s first full-length album, “Welcome to the Infant Freebase,” was a rousing success, prompting an audience clap-along with the song’s ubiquitous tambourines. However, more difficult songs like “Retro Man” and “Dow Jones Syndrome” were less triumphant.
The climactic moment came near the end of the night, as the cynical but fun “21st Century Rip Off” was winding down. With Person still strumming softly, Lundberg descended into the crowd, and implored the masses to “sit down and chill out,” a charge that the entire audience obeyed. Shaking hands and taking song requests, Lundberg waded through an audience that was completely unconcerned with the filthy reality of Little Brother’s floor.
With carefully developed lyrics and peerless musicianship on Saturday, TSOOL proved again it is one of the best “new” bands to enter the U.S. market in a long time.
