Toro Y Moi
Eye Level Art: 103
April 25
There’s a problem with this new trend of “chillwave” (as the asshole blogger Carles of the Hipster Runoff likes to call it). Sure, the music itself is great, mutually danceable and atmospheric. But seeing it in person can be a bore.
At its worse, watching some dude fiddle with a laptop for 45 minutes can make you question the cover charge you just paid. But Toro Y Moi — otherwise known as Chaz Bundick from Columbia — is proof that there’s a right way to perform this genre.
Frankly, Charleston was lucky to get a show of this level of indie magnitude, and we owe that to Bundick’s Palmetto State background. He called it a homecoming, and he played it that way, like someone who’s surrounded by friends, not Pitchfork-following randoms.
It’s obvious that he is as entertained by what he is doing as we are. Bobbing along while he played, grabbing the mic and switching back and forth from his software to his guitar, he was casual and unpretentious.
Eye Level Art acted as the perfect venue; with its open courtyard and keg beer, it felt more like a house show than a $10-$12 investment. And despite the flashing lights, the projection art, the superfluous fog machine, and the accumulated body heat, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that Bundick’s live show is exactly like what he does in a practice space, some warehouse or garage or living room, completely alone. Playing tracks off his debut Causers of This (including a stripped-down version of standout “Blessa”) his performance was effortless in the best way imaginable.
Keep the City Paper free
We don't have a paywall. Each week's printed issue is free. We're local, independent and free. Let's keep it this way.
Please consider a donation of $100 to keep the City Paper free. Donate: chscp.us