The Whitest Boy Alive

Erlend Øye is somewhat of a specialist in polished downbeat compositions. His music goes down smoother than a cosmopolitan and is as satisfactory as a savory truffle. Øye has placed sounds of propriety and urbanity in each of his projects. He has created sophisticated electronic dance pieces on his solo albums, and has crafted lush acoustic melodies for his folk band Kings of Convenience. Given his diverse range of musical ideas it doesn't seem like a huge leap for him to develop a group that focuses on the saccharine sound of contemporary adult jazz.
The sound of the Whitest Boy Alive is easy to listen to but it is anything but boring. Hints of funk and disco slip into their sound and in a live setting they are guaranteed to have the whole audience moving. The Rhodes piano (an electronic keyboard praised for its warm bell tone) is heard throughout the music of the band. Keyboardist Daniel Nentwig's tendency to stress jazz chords and the upbeat manner in which he plays them recreate a 70s jazz fusion vibe. During a live show Nentwig bounces up and down the keyboard, while Marcin Öz delivers backbreaking bass grooves. Drummer Sebastian Maschat is able to get a fairly complex and complementary sound out of the minimal setup up of his drum kit. He never seems to miss a beat. The drums and bass often provide the structure and direction of the music and the guitar and piano are used to create tonal variation and rhythmic flavor. Often it sounds like the instruments of Øye and Nentwig are sparring. They are almost never in unison, but are always creating contrasting and interesting sounds. Most importantly this call and response technique greatly contributes to the rhythmic progression and overall dance oriented mood of the music. The audience will typically dance the whole night at one of their shows. Their performance includes flashing strobe lights and rotating spotlights that signal in mathematical alignment to the music. Needless to say their concerts are met with pure elation. Their live offerings seem to be a pure reinstatement of the talent and eclecticism of Erlend Øye.

Don’t take their name too seriously; The Whitest Boy Alive were clearly going for tongue-in-cheek when they selected that moniker, because there’s nothing especially restricted about their music; they had one of the most diverse sounds in indie pop, incorporating touches of jazz, funk, eighties new wave and even, at times, house. They only turned out two records - Dreams in 2006, and a follow-up in Rules in 2009 - but continued to tour prodigiously, and it was on stage that their unique sound really came to blossom. Singer, Erland Oye, who looks like Norway’s answer to Brendan Canning from Broken Social Scene, might have fronted the band, but in truth, The Whitest Boy Alive’s live shows were about as collaborative as gigs get. In front of a large LED screen displaying minimalist visuals, the four-piece took advantage of the fluidity of their sound, often jamming out their tracks and allowing them to segue into one another. They did it all between the four of them, too, with pretty much every member serving as a multi-instrumentalist onstage, eschewing the need for extra members. Last month, they announced that they’d disbanded, ruling out the prospect of further dates; it’d be a shame if they didn’t reform at some point, because they were one of the most intriguing propositions in indie.

Was a great opportunity to see the band that I ve thought I would have never seen, as the first song I ve heard was in 2014, when the band was no longer together.
One of my favorites in those years ( 2014-2017).
Konex ( the venue ) was the right place, as its intimate, arty, and outside patio/backyard at the beginning of our summer. Nice vibe there.
The show was really good, enjoyed it so much.
Some issues with the sound i guess. Neat, classy and joyful.
Maybe shorter ( only 1 hour ) than I ve expected.