Review: Twin Sister, Ava Luna, & Lemolo at The Vera Project

It’s not often that that The Vera Project puts on a show like it did the other night - but when it does, it can’t be missed. Accompanied by Seattle’s Lemolo, Brooklyn bands Twin Sister and Ava Luna played two of the more captivating and strange sets I’ve seen in a while. What happened at the show was neither magic nor skill, it was pure intellectual dance pop.

Twin Sister has made a name for themselves over the past few years with their sincere and never cheesy vintage pop. It’s strange how they manage to come off as “not cheesy” considering the tones they use, but the result is great. It’s kind of like if Mozart picked up a few synths, chilled out hardcore, and walked onto a lighted dance floor - It was definitely refreshing to see something like that in Seattle.

Their singer Andrea also had crazy hair. Check it out:

photo by Elizabeth Crook

All of their songs sounded great live, but if you’re looking for an introduction to the group, check out “Lady Daydream,” “Meet the Frownies,” “Stop,” & “Bad Street.”

Ava Luna sounded a lot like The Dirty Projectors and Midnite Vultures era Beck. Their songs had a nice level of sophistication to them which can probably attributed to their singer Carlos studying Music Composition at Columbia University. The two lady back-up singers sang some killer syncopated soul harmonies that sounded a lot like those of the Dirty Projectors. Should I mention it again? If you like Dirty Projectors, you’ll probably be into Ava Luna.

photo by Elizabet Crook

Lemolo is one of the more buzzed about bands in Seattle. Their style is at times reminiscent of Beach House but live they didn’t convey the musical depth I expected. They definitely had some good musical ideas, but their songs had trouble going anywhere. I’m sure that with time and more musical exploration, Lemolo will do very well for themselves.

photos by Elizabeth Crook