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From the Portland Mercury
BRAD MACKESON, TANGO ALPHA TANGO, DEEPEST DARKEST
Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) After the Carolines split a couple years ago, Nathan and Aaron Trueb formed Tango Alpha Tango, while the remaining members teamed up with Derby’s Nat Johnson to form Deepest Darkest. Both bands are logical extensions of the Carolines’ unpretentious, melodic pop. Deepest Darkest go for shiny, sheen-y, radio-friendly, classicist rock, with every note carefully in place and every timbre in perfect relief. As generic as that could seem, the songs are mighty fine, and the relaxed, sun-faded vibe is a comfortable fit. Tango Alpha Tango have a bit more urgency to their sound, and cultivate a delicate, damaged beauty; the songs are either folkier and more pointed, or trashier and glammier?more suited for the bedroom than Deepest Darkest’s convertible-with-the-top-down groove. It’s a genuine pleasure, and no slight against what came before, that both bands are better than the Carolines ever were, and sure, it’s not exactly fair, or necessary, to pit the two against the past or each other?but when both share the bill, comparisons are inevitable. Headliner Brad Mackeson celebrates the release of his Nostalgia album, and as its title would suggest, it revisits familiar classic rock and Americana sounds without rocking any boats or embarking on roads less traveled. NL
