By Eileen Ceconi
One of the biggest perks of being a second semester senior is not having class on Friday. As an engineer, with a schedule typically filled with labs and discussions, this is the first time I have this luxury. Therefore, I am definitely taking advantage of my free time and going home on a non-break weekend. Much like my ill-fated trip last fall, I am going home to see an epic concert. If you don’t have the honor of listening to my daily reminders, I’m going to see Darkside this weekend. I’m stoked for the show (and I may or may not shed some rare tears), because I basically worship Nicolas Jaar.
Even though I’m leaving tropical Ithaca as soon as my last class lets out, I won’t make it home in time for another concert I really wanted to attend. At The Westway in good ol’ Brooklyn, Gems is playing with Wet, Lolawolf and Noah Breakfast. All are up-and-coming acts, and I really think Gems and Wet have the potential to break out in 2014. Gems is an ethereal dream-pop duo from D.C., and just like everyone else in 2012, they released their first two singles, “Void Moon” and “All I Ever,” anonymously and quite mysteriously. Their songs are romantic and hazy and should be the soundtrack to any emotional relationship. I enjoy Gems every now and then, but I’m particularly upset about missing Wet.
The New York trio exemplifies the new R&B-meets-electronic genre that I’m convinced is the music of the future. They also get extra points for winning The Fader’s list of “Top 4 Albums with Sculptures On the Cover” in Listmania 2013 and for having the domain name kanyewet.biz. Their lyrics can use some work, but what sets Wet apart is singer Kelly Zutrau’s crystal clear vocals paired with impeccable production. Though it’s not quite minimalist, I’d like to call Wet’s production economical. Similar to that of Majical Cloudz or even Lorde, Wet uses simple percussion and synths to focus the listener. Every sound has a purpose, and it all comes together to deliver a fragile yet graceful end product.
By a landslide, my favorite Wet song is “No Lie”. It has a catchy hook, a balance between vocals and percussion and it’s impossible not to love Zutrau’s transition out of falsetto thirty seconds into the song. To be honest, I was a bit surprised when I found the Noah Breakfast remix of “No Lie” on my SoundCloud feed. The original is essentially flawless, and it takes quite a bit of audacity to tamper with perfection. And while I still prefer the initial version, the bouncy tempo and bonus verse from rapper Spank Rock make this remix more suitable for social situations. Thankfully the spotlight stays on Zutrau’s divine vocals, so though it’s slightly disguised, Wet’s original emotion stays intact.