Let me put it this way: at least one member of the Pop Press International staff feels dangerously at risk of quitting their day job, getting a triangle tattoo, and going on an endless tour. Y△CHT is one of the most artistically innovative bands today; their musical creativity is paralleled only by the magic of their super-positive, mystical philosophy (too comprehensive to begin addressing here, we suggest you go read about it on their site). All of this the band exhibited at the sold out show at the Mohawk last Friday night. Female-fronted, local favorites Love Inks’ dreamy, upbeat songs and touring act Onuinu’s crisp pop had the crowd warm for the excellent set that followed.
Seeing Y△CHT live never disappoints: the beats sound killer, core members Jona Bechtolt and Claire Evans are effusive onstage, and the crowd is always pumped. But beyond that, it’s the sheer joy that the band radiates through their uplifting crowd banter and life-encouraging comments that pushes the performance over the edge. Plus, they aren’t bad dancers. (In case that sarcasm was lost on anyone who’s never caught a show, Bechtolt is one of the most captivating dancers in indie music.)
A reviewer once noted that Y△CHT bridges the gap between Talking Heads and electro-pop. While this assertion omits some important aspects of the band, it encompasses others that are vital. Chiefly, the fact that what sounds on record like it might be a guy sitting behind a table is instead a full band with live drums, guitar, bass, and keys. They have all the quirks and eccentricities of the musically talented Heads, rocking their instruments with great skill, but lean heavily toward electronic pop. There are loops, sure, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg. Speaking of the loops, Bechtolt uses them live to greater effect than any performer I’ve watched to date. Once the creative genius behind all of The Blow’s beats, Bechtolt knows intimately the aural textures he creates. They aren’t just beeps, bloops, and clicks as a background template. He can pinpoint every single rattle and snare crack, each falling note, and rising synth line. Onstage, he uses these intricate rhythms to dance, motion, and pantomime with perfect synchronicity.
Y△CHT’s performance employed a mix of songs primarily culled from their two newest efforts, See Mystery Lights and Shangri-La. Tracks from the latter included “Love in the Dark,” “Tripped and Fell in Love,” and “One Step.” From their preceding record, the group performed crowd pleasers like “The Afterlife,” “Psychic City,” “Summer Song,” and “I’m in Love with a Ripper.” When Y△CHT plays “You Can Live Anywhere You Want,” the simplicity of the statement hints at a deeper truth— that we can live anywhere we want in our minds. Some of the locales suggested for living in the song’s final phase (a cave, underwater), seem especially strange unless considered metaphorically. I’m betting we can all call to mind a few people living underwater, and I’m wondering if the band would agree that even the realms heaven and hell are simply states of mind, though they seem staunchly insistent that Y△CHT is not a religion.
Their stance on religion is probably a good thing, because for the time being Y△CHT is too busy creating stellar albums and killing it on tour to sermonize the sold out crowd that would surely flock to the pews of a Sunday morning service were it led by Bechtolt.
