L'Rain played Union Pool

 

L'Rain dazzled a sweaty afternoon crowd at Union Pool as part of their Summer Thunder series.

As the sun beat down on the packed backyard of Williamsburg's Union Pool, Taja Cheek led her group and put on a display of shapeshifting sonics that straddled the lines of ambient, jazz, noise, all through an experimental lens that makes the sound nearly impossible to pin down while being some of the most exciting music you're likely to hear. Standing behind boards of pedals and looping machines, Taja took control of the hot afternoon and led the crowd on a journey that sparkled with velvety saxophone, dreamy guitar, and the occasional noise freak-out that kept the crowd on their toes. Blurry synth lines give a lot of tunes a padded comfort that pairs nicely with the lush guitar work and groovy bass lines that intertwine with the vibrant melodies and enthralling rhythms. Cheek's voice soars throughout and as she looped it live on stage, it built a vortext of sound that swallowed the crowd up with cosmic delight. As the temperature outside remained high, L'Rain kept the audience in a headspace of peace and intrigue, everyone deeply lost in the illustrious sounds, like an audio balm for the radient heat. Throughout the crowd, some folks were getting lost in the grooves, some totally zoning out with the dissonant chords raining down, and others finding the rhythms and dancing away, a radical display of the range of sounds the band can conjure up and the wide-spread appeal of their live show. Surprising Cheek about half-way through the set, keyboardist and saxophonist Ben announced that it would be Tara's birthday tomorrow and they had a cake make its way on to the stage as we all joined in to sing her a happy birthday. A second round followed with Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday" to which Cheek replied "wow, now I know all the right people are here!" Towards the end of the set, Taja announced that she's finished her new album and is waiting to hear from her label on a timeline before proceeding to play some new material for the eager crowd. More arrangements of sweeping sonics, delayed and processed loops, and richly textured vocals comprised the new work and made for a strong finish to the show. Lost in a trance, the crowd was slow to react when the band said their goodbyes, but once folks shook out, it was abundantly clear how compelling and transfixing L'Rain is not just on record, but bringing these elite songs to life.