Boston’s Eksi Ekso new LP, Brown Shark, Red Lion was released last week via Mylene Sheath (label home to Giants, Caspian, and more.) Paired with a 28 page book of artwork, the album tells the story of a photographer and amateur astronomer who disappeared mysteriously in Eastern Turkey in the late 1800’s.
Brown Shark, Red Lion shows a band comfortable exploring areas of orchestral pop (with a nine-piece chamber orchestra), synth-soaked dance, and hard-hitting rock in ways that can appeal to the crowd who just want a catchy vocal line as well as the kids who go to the front of the stage to see what’s in a band’s pedal boards. The vocals are memorable and well-arranged, the melodic instruments make hooks out of refreshingly atypical chords and melodies, the rhythm section pummels with a deft blend of creativity and back-beat. Strings and brass are not haphazard novelties that show up when the band runs out of ideas; they propel the song when need be or billow beneath the din when subtlety is best.
Eksi Ekso will be playing at 10pm Saturday, March 26, at The Rosebud Bar in Somerville. The line-up is as follows:
9pm – Electric Laser People
10pm – Eksi Ekso
11pm – St. Helena
12am – KNTRLR (Brooklyn)
–Chrissy Prisco