Pygmy Lush – why?
Americana might be one of those genres that many people do not consider a Roadburn-adjacent one. But there has always been room for these tunes in Tilburg IF they are not the kind of happy-golightly-Americana but rather the darker sides of it (one reason why I still pledge Two Gallants to be a perfect RB-band!) - just remember the Giles Corey performance a few years ago! And this year, this spot will be taken by Pygmy Lush: A band, who at first does not seem to have any connection with pg. 99 but who proves by their shared personnel that the Virginia music scene is an incalculable and often underestimated one. If you spin their 2011 opus Old Friends you will hear a band whose storytelling is sad and melancholic, whose music is yearning and adequate. A band somewhere between The Weakerthans and Bright Eyes, between Tim Barry and Gregor Samsa – uplifting Indie-Rock with Bonnie Prince Billy-like themes of loss – the dichotomy is not only a reflection of human life but also exactly what makes this genre and this band so exciting – a combination of things seemingly unconnected but with a friction between those sides that is exhilarating!
Pygmy Lush will perform on Friday, April 18!
