We gathered at the Observatory North Park to pay our respects to the dreamy, spacey sounds of STRFKR.
STRFKR
In the wake of this world gone mad, it’s increasingly necessary to reset, turn away from the state of unrest, and take a musical journey with inspiring friends. STRFKR is perfect for these moments. Their transitory songs forever occupy the innermost caverns of your heart. In moments of pure ecstasy and through the most arduous times, those words are there no matter what. Part of the soundtrack to your life, bouncing along step by step, and lifting you out of the dark when necessary. As a music lover, these artists shape you in ways you never imagined.
In homage, we gathered at the Observatory North Park to pay our respects to the dreamy, spacey sounds of STRFKR. The evening ahead was filled with unforeseeable occurrences that would leave an imprint in our memories for years to come.
The night was to be filled with rich instrumentation layered into intricate arrangements, the hallmark of the band’s sound. An amalgamation of lyrical existentialism with synth-heavy electronics and a dash of psychedelia for good measure. Their sound is malleable. It’s easy to fade away into labyrinthine melodies or dive into the groove of a funkier song. At times, their music feels a bit heavy and melancholic, anchored by themes of death and mortality. In concert however, they create a dance party atmosphere that envelopes you in euphoria.
During their set, “Open Your Eyes” from the 2016 album, Being No One, Going Nowhere created the soaring feeling of love at first sight. Heavy organ makes way for a guitar riff straight out of a John Hughes classic, while the dynamic intensity sweeps you into a vibrant chorus. Your body succumbs to dance as heart palpitations and nervous energy escalate. Then suddenly, the song fades into the omnipotent words of singer Alan Watts. He guides your movements into the recesses of your mind that epiphanous moment when heart and soul are cresting in synchronicity.
Between the on stage antics of the gyrating astronaut crew, a seven foot tall rabbit wizard, and Josh Hodges’ inflatable swan crowd surfing there where so many unforgettable visuals. But the music took us to otherworldly and surreal spheres. The expansive sound is powerful enough to take you deep within yourself. The Alan Watts quote in their grandiose tune “interspace” explains:
“Underneath the superficial self, which pays attention to this and that, there is another self, more really us than ‘I’… And if you become aware of that unknown self, the more you become aware of it, the more you realize that it is inseparably connected with everything else that there is. That, you are a function of this total galaxy, bounded by the Milky Way, and that furthermore this galaxy is a function of all other galaxies. and that vast thing that you see far, far off with great telescopes. You look and look, and one day you are going to wake up and say, ‘Why, that’s me!’ And in knowing that, you know that you never die. You are the eternal thing that comes and goes that appears…and so it goes, forever and ever and ever.”