
Night Moves w/ Rachel Bobbitt
Portland House of Music
∙
Portland
Tuesday, September 16 at 8 pm EDT
Pop
Rock
Concert Venue
Tuesday, September 16 at 8 pm EDT
Pop
Rock
Concert Venue
Entry Options
Details
Artists
Description
Next to another warehouse that sold funeral supplies, he listened to works in progress as he jockeyed the booze, working until he and the band felt they had the core of a record ready.
Again, not as easy as it sounds: Night Moves cycled through two producers who had first sounded like dream collaborators but just didn’t fit their vibe. Once again, Night Moves opted to return to their own practice space, recording the bulk of the album there after capturing basic tracks at Minnesota’s legendary Pachyderm.
The decision afforded the band, for the first time, the challenge and luxury of producing themselves—of making every decision about tone and arrangement and timing before passing the songs to Woods sonic mastermind Jarvis Taveniere for mixing and co-production.
Those travails were, it turns out, worth it. Double Life is at once the most candid and impressionistic Night Moves album yet, built on personal experiences but written so that you can map your own life onto these songs, too.
Witness, for instance, “Hold On To Tonight,” a kaleidoscopic soul tune that was inspired by that death in the family; it’s a snapshot from a boozy night alone, when you stumble into the realization that the only thing you’re holding onto is fading memories.
“Ring My Bell” is its musical and emotional counterpart, with Pelant extending an invitation to be asked for help whenever times get inevitably tough, all above the spring-loaded rhythm of drummer Mark Hanson and bassist Micky Alfano.
“You’ve got a sadness hanging in your eyes,”
Pelant sings, slipping into a bridge that Steely Dan would have loved.
“Well, I just wish that I could change your mind.”
This song, at least, offers a fighting chance to do just that.
Night Moves has a repeated joke when they’re on the road, driving from town to town in their bruised van:
“I can’t believe I have to do this again,”
they say—a reference to the surrealist repetition of shows, parties, hangovers, and long hauls that define touring.
That line shows up during “This Time Tomorrow,” a could-have-been Petty hit updated with the malaise and wanderlust of modern life.
“I can’t believe I have to do this again, oh this again, this time tomorrow,”
Pelant sings alongside Charles Murlowski’s mocking riff.
“Laughing at the joke, but the joke’s my life.”
It can feel that way for all of us sometimes, right?
But on Double Life, Night Moves does not retreat from the struggles and complexities of life. They, instead, double down with songs that stare them in the face and turn forward on their own terms.