This month seems to be one of rad music in Boston as a cool band takes the stage almost every night at one of the city’s many venues. This weekend it was South Carolina native Toro y Moi kicking off the holiday weekend with a groovy set at the Paradise.
After two opening acts — the frantic, grunge/surfer pop hybrid Dog Bite and the smooth, jazzy, indie duo Wild Belle — Friday’s sold-out crowd was growing a little antsy. Intermittent smoke clouds puffed overhead, sweaty bodies were packed tightly together, and bizarre elevator music blared in-between sets. The crowd was more than ready when chillwave master Chaz Bundwick, who performs under the name Toro y Moi, finally sauntered onstage.
The name Toro y Moi is derived from a sort of social comment on mixed cultures. The word “toro” is Spanish for bull, while “moi” is French for me. Toro y Moi has experimented in several genres since beginning his music career. He is perhaps most commonly identified, though, as being a part of the growing chillwave movement of atmospheric tunes blowing up the blogosphere. With tracks that sound positively lounge-worthy, Toro y Moi joins bands such as Hot Chip and Washed Out as one of these upcoming artists. He employs overpowering melodic synth, an understated beat, and dreamy vocals to create an almost otherworldly sound. And, of course, there is a cool light show involved.
I was a bit skeptical about seeing one of these artists in a live setting for fear of a “chill overload” and a sleepy crowd dynamic, as is sometimes the case with this genre. Friday night proved that it’s hard to overdose on a laidback vibe, though, and sometimes it’s good to end a tough week with your eyes closed, calmly grooving along, rather than moshing. Toro y Moi put on a thoughtful show, a balance of the mellow and upbeat, and provided a down-to-earth soundtrack for Friday night. He played crowd favorites such as “High Living,” from the most recently released album, Anything in Return, as well as “New Beat” from 2011’s Underneath the Pines.
Something that struck me about Friday’s show was the overall element of ease and comfort. Rather than being a bunch of strangers crammed in a hot space watching a distant, detached musician perform a few songs, it was actually difficult to draw a line between “famous band” and “music fans.” Toro y Moi seemed so comfortable onstage, smiling along, and excited to take the musical journey with the crowd. I watched as several people in the crowd made new friends with one another, dancing through the extended set.
After a stellar encore, brought about by a chanting crowd (Toro, Toro, Toro…), the audience filtered out of the Paradise in a serene state, smiling to themselves over the enlightened musical experience that is Toro y Moi.
