CAUGHT LIVE: A B & THE SEA @ THE VIPER ROOM

CAUGHT LIVE: A B & THE SEA @ THE VIPER ROOM - 5-16-10

Summer is upon us, and sunset laden beach filled days beckon. Enter A B & THE SEA, an SF (by way of Wisconsin) who wowed The Viper Room last night with set of frothy indie pop confections guaranteed to populate your summer playlist.

Fresh off their opening slot at the Noise Pop Closing Party in February and an endorsement from The Morning Benders’ Chris Chu (he produced their demos), A B & the Sea are riding high on fair amount of surf rock buzz, so I was excited to see what they had to offer.

A B & the Sea feel as if they could be transplanted in to the sock hop of any episode of Happy Days, with tinges of Buddy Holly and the Beatles. Channeling a young Brian Wilson minus those awful Hawaiian shirts, lead singer, Koley O’Brien, clad in a pale blue blazer and greased up hair is a 1950’s esque heartthrob in the making.

Opening with “Suzie,” the track that first got me hooked on this four piece last summer when they played The Rumble parties in Portland and San Francisco. “Yellow-Haired Girl” was a bright morsel of sunshiny dreamy pop goodness heavy on the “sha la la’s,” while “Down Around” off their soon to be released EP, was a retro surf pop with a contemporary edge and pure nostalgia in the best way possible. Full of three part harmonies and a tight rhythm section thanks to the skills of Troy Lawton, they surprised the crowd with an apt cover of the Beach Boys “Don’t Worry Baby.”

A B & the Sea excel in crafting sincere catchy pop gems that demand foot tapping and hand clapping, so much so that I challenge anyone to resist the urge to not cut a move at one of their shows. Closing with current single “Bone Dry,” a thumping harmony rich number that elicited a roving dance party in front of the stage courtesy of O’Brien’s proud mom. A B & the Sea are undoubtedly the Beach Boys of 2010 and once again prove that Chris Chu has absolutely impeccable taste.

Check out A B & the Sea on Thursday June 10, when they play Spaceland with Fitz & the Tantrums.

Post by Veronica Pulcini