100 Bands in 100 Days Presented by Verity Credit Union — Day 77: Mega Bog
Please check out Verity Credit Union, our great partner in the 100 Bands in 100 Days local music showcase.
Music fans of the Pacific Northwest, get ready for our fourth annual year-end daily local music showcase, 100 Bands in 100 Days, where every day until December 31st, we’re showcasing a new band or artist you have to know about, presented by Verity Credit Union. Make sure you are checking the #100Bands100Days hashtag at Twitter on the daily to stay on top of all the bands featured and make sure to follow Verity on Twitter and NW_Music_Scene as well. Some days the featured act could be an established and locally-adored northwest-based musician and other times they could be a band with a small following that just hasn’t had their deserved time in the sun yet. Either way, we’re fairly confident you can come away from this daily segment with plenty of new favorites. Today’s featured artist is Mega Bog.
At the end of March of this year we took a stab at reviewing Happy Together from Mega Bog. Although the band is currently in NYC, they list Seattle as their hometown and we REALLY love their sound, so we are including them.
Here’s some of what we said about the EP in our review:
“Diznee” begins Happy Together as a saxophone lulls you through a mistaken alley and POW! the band kicks off into a tasty circus jangle with Birgy sneering like the charismatic ringleader who convinced you to purchase tickets in the first place. “TV Mac” shuffles with a masterful bass line, clarinet spells, and honey coated vocal harmonies reminiscence of 70’s AM gold. “Worst Way” has Birgy rhetorically questioning (and affirming) the life choices whilst in the labyrinth surrounded by digitized percussion buzzes and sparse saxophone toots. “Black Out” jams like your favorite spring break anthem with sharply attacking guitars amidst Birgy’s jabbing lines about getting back in the car, continuing the journey.
While the pop-rock chromosomes certainly punctuate Happy Together in a satisfying way, Mega Bog’s deliberate inclusion of dissonant experimental genes in “Black Rose” help construct a topsy-turvy toyshop of sounds. “192014” clinks around with shrieking sax, riffing guitars, and the pulse of a funky bass zipping around like an adolescent zooming in a stolen car. In a sleek and balanced approach, Mega Bog shines brightest when everyone gets a turn.
On repeat listens, Happy Together hints to an amalgam of artists and styles, but mostly I hear Jacqueline Humbert from 1982’s multimedia, monologue-rich Daytime Viewing. Birgy’s vocal flexibility allows her melodies to be wrapped into sharp, spoken verses similar to Humbert’s. As a band, Mega Bog sneezes as one. Birgy is peppered by a great cast of musicians lifting her meanderings on complexities and mundane facets of life into orbit. All sounds, whether large or merely whispered, seem to have been yanked down from the stars, fervently studied, and kept in this earthy realm for our benefit. We are grateful.
(You can listen to Happy Together below via Bandcamp and get more info about Mega Bog HERE.)
A huge shoutout to Verity Credit Union for doing so much for the music community and for being such a great partner.
