Populuxe - Stand
PREMIERE | POPULUXE RELEASE ‘STAND’
Art-pop outfit Populux premieres “Stand” on Rawckus. The track is from the band’s imminent album, Beauty in the Broken Place, set to drop October 27.
Populuxe | Photo: Ruby & Keaton Shapiro
A concept album, Beauty in the Broken Place examines our present cultural status quo through the image of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre on October 27, 2018, which left 11 dead and 7 wounded.
Frontman Rob Shapiro explains, “It’s an event that clearly has much broader implications. The massacre hit me hard, and I was incredibly moved when people congregated in Prospect Park that night and spontaneously sang Kaddish (the Jewish prayer of mourning.) That was the moment when the title sort of announced itself to me (“beauty in the broken place”), and within hours I started writing, and then the material and arc just started to pour out. I did my best to ride the biggest wave I ever caught.”
Layers upon layers of spitting electrical washes of sound give the music both a funk-lite and rock-opera texture.
Made up of Rob Shapiro (vocals), Mark Pardy (drums, percussion), and Mike Mallory (bass), the band’s name amalgamates “popular” and “luxury,” and refers to ultra-modern designs from the 1950s and 1960s. Populuxe’s sound merges savors of prog-rock, pop, and surf-rock into tasty sonic concoctions full of elusive familiarity and contemporary innovation.
“Stand” opens on a wonderful drum shuffle conjuring up memories of Deep Purple topped by Isaac Hayes-like squeezing guitars flowing into a retro-flavored psychedelically surging tune reminiscent of power-rock from the heady ‘70s and ‘80s – Grand Funk Railroad with hints of Steve Miller. The straight ahead rhythm hits with rumbling muscle.
Shapiro’s penetrating voice infuses the tune with cutting urgency, as the melody takes on swirling colors akin to Jimi Hendrix jamming with The Isley Brothers. Layers upon layers of spitting electrical washes of sound give the music both a funk-lite and rock-opera texture.
“Stand” is excellent, delivering thick intoxicating energy rife with writhing kaleidoscopic relishes and Shapiro’s wickedly piercing vocals.
