For those seeking a night of energetic music that will somehow end up relaxing, head to the Memorial Union Terrace tomorrow. Now, Now’s heart-land indie pop will make you feel good (or at least better) about living in midwestern America. Shortly before that, Portland soul-tribe Tu Fawning should break the ice with an nice ear-massage of antique chanting.
Cacie Dalager and Brad Hale began writing songs together during high school in Minnesota. Forming the group Now, Now Every Children, they released the debut album Cars in 2008. At times these songs gently hold a quintessential sound of everything wanted in an indie rock band at that time. I will go out on a limb to say there has been a cultural innocence in the air the past few years. A song like “Friends With My Sister” captures that moment, breathing so much young energy without feeling over-polished. The lo-fi production is intimate; the music is not perfect and thus is believable. Hear the triumphant last minute of “Cars,” a hopeful frenzy of sound lit up by melodic bass tones and sparkles of eye-opening synth.
It has been argued that the titles of music (or any art) do not matter. When Now, Now Every Children dropped the second half of their name, they stated in Spin: “We felt like we needed to disconnect ourselves from any childish image we had. It was a way of starting over.” Perhaps this name change did matter. Did they want the band to grow with them as they aged? Now, Now’s second album Threads was released this past March and it does sound older. Where past records brightly glowed, this one feels iced over. Threads isn’t exactly darker, but it is less colorful. When I asked vocalist/guitarist Cacie Dalager about it, she said: “The three of us were going through difficult times in our lives while we were writing and recording this album. We didn’t consciously move in any direction, but I do agree that it came from a different place inside of us that we hadn’t previously explored.” This is certainly not a bad thing, only different. At its brighter moments the new album sounds like cute growing into gorgeous.
The radio-friendly production of Threads is glossy in comparison to Cars, which does seem to move the music further away and make it less real. Still, in a new way the songs are greater. They surely did not make the same album twice and Threads actually seems much closer to the opposite. What has not changed is the darling vocal work. When Cacie sings low and soft it sounds precious yet cool, and when Jess Abbot joins in they find true harmony. Vocals arch perfectly during the chorus of near-title-track “Thread.” Between all the material from both albums, Now, Now promises to give a diverse performance showcasing a wide spectrum of emotions and sounds. I think the variety of the band’s catalog will make for vivid contrast and a very well-rounded evening.