The large ensemble Seasons played at the Echoplex during this special Monday night, featuring the screening of the ‘Pass The Music’ Documentary and the release of local bands' videos.
The eight-piece band is obviously not afraid of the grandiose and soaring choruses, with three keyboards, guitars, trumpet, violin and a large rhythm section, their songs coming from albums inspired by the four seasons, can be some big tempestuous numbers with angry chords, romantic violin strings, and frontman Nick’s tenor voice soaring above the beautiful sonic chaos. It’s moody and unruly, operatic or poppy, dramatic or nostalgic, bouncy or soothing. That’s why it is so hard to describe their music, but at the end, you get the feeling that every one on stage has put a lot of passion into it. Last time I saw them, they had beautifully decorated the stage with flowers, and they hadn’t failed to the tradition this time, with electric snowflake garlands and fresh flowers, making the stage multicolor, at the image of their sound.
Their core members are Nik, John, Adam, Erik, Ray, Kaitlin, but more people had joined them on stage on Monday night, building a very layered and complex sound, with shimmering keyboards and glittering guitars, going from quiet and sweet melancholic moments to large sonic explosions unleashing some serious fury. Whatever you can say about their music, they do not belong to any known genre… may be psych-pop?
But they certainly built an infectious energy with their colorful and layered melodic music, which was just more heartbroken and romantic than your average pop. It certainly wasn’t conventional and its complexity didn’t follow any conventional paths at all, and may be that’s the reason why the Highland Park-based band has already built up a large following, dancing and having fun in the Echoplex on Monday night.
Whatever the season they were choosing I thought their set was overall sunny, at the exception of a few chaotic storms, just like any season in Los Angeles.
