One week ago tonight Regina Spektor was just finishing a fantastic performance at the Michigan Theater.  Fortunately for me, I was able to get tickets (bought them super early) and so was introduced to Regina’s awesomely upbeat opener, the indie rock band known as Little Joy. 

Make them happy, buy their album...

You may recognize some of the members - Fabrizio Moretti is the drummer of The Strokes and Rodrigo Amarante is the singer/guitarist of Los Hermanos. Moretti and Amarante met at a Portugese festival in Lisbon (of all places) while  Binki Shapiro was introduced to the  pair through a mutual friend. 

Their sound is eclectic and folksy.  It reminds me a bit of the Beach Boys/Hawaiian lite, if you will, pre-Jack Johnson but with a dash of Peter, Paul and Mary.  You can hear the vocals of all three band members who each play multiple instruments, from guitar to glockenspiel to ukulele, creating the eclectic and almost folksy sound showcased in “Next Time Around” and “How to Hang a Warhol“.

Not mention the chill lyrics, like these from “Next Time Around” which (to me) are a gentle reminder to relax:

One too many goals
That measure out your worth
To seek your weight in gold

Sat by the ivory sill
the further out you look
the further out you’ll be

One word to describe the Brazilian/American band (so sayeth their sparse Wikipedia page) is optimistic. Not that I don’t love Regina Spektor, but her latest album, Far, is noticeably more depressing that her previous albums which featured some dark lyrics but generally had upbeat melodies.  Little Joy was a quick dose of Prozac beforehand.

 -B.C.Bodnar