Low Roar at the The Crocodile in Seattle

Hideo Kojima made writing about and photographing this concert possible (albeit, not personally). When a trailer for his upcoming video game dropped early last year, the song used in it immediately caught my attention. Upon Shazaming, I found out it was "I'll Keep Coming" by a group based out of Iceland named Low Roar.

Flash forward to today. Having listened to their discography rather extensively, I was excited for their live set, opening for San Fermin. It exceeded my expectations. The low-key blue lighting highlighted the mellow, often somber, yet somehow still raucous cuts that have come to define Low Roar's sound. Each member of the trio, highlighted by frontman Ryan Karazija, are multi instrumentalists and singers, and each brings a unique contribution to the whole. While "I'll Keep Coming" was certainly a set highlight, they had the capacity crowd at The Crocodile in the palm of their hand for their 45 minute set. See it.

In all transparency, I was preparing to head home after Low Roar's set in order to catch up on some much needed sleep. After hearing San Fermin's opener, though, I couldn't help but stay. The 7 member group, fronted by Ellis Ludwig-Leone, had one of the most electric live sets I've seen in years. From keys to trumpet, saxophone to guitars, the energy didn't stop for over an hour. The trumpet player walked out above the audience and danced while he was playing, for crying out loud. Everyone brought their A game. They've gained a new fan.

Photos // Words by Alexander Hallett

Diamond Doves - "One Good Reason"

Photo via Flickr user rufusowliebat.

Diamond Doves clearly have some new ideas for the new year. This week, the multifaceted multi-instrumentalists that made up Elvis Perkins’s backing band have released a shiny single that’ll brighten your winter.

“One Good Reason” is a smart synthy jam from Wyndham Boylan-Garnett and Nick Kinsey, featuring some nifty strings from San Fermin’s Ellis Ludwig-Leone and Perkins on background vocals. Altogether it sounds like the group’s most polished effort yet.

You can hear more from Diamond Doves, including last year’s debut LP Eat Your Heart Out, on their bandcamp page.