With a rising cultural interest in the magical realism of vampires and werewolves
intermingling with everyday life, as well as the surreal quality of Tina Fey's
comedy writing, it is clear that modern art is fascinating when it's walking a few
steps outside of stark reality. It utilizes the humanly impossible to reveal the truth
of human nature, which can be a moving experience. Brooklyn's SoftSpot is a
musical act that seems to operate on this same logic – creating dreamscapes in
their music that punctures listeners with ethereal sound.
The band began as a duo comprised of Sarah Kinlaw and Bryan Keller, a
couple who have known each other since kindergarten. Born and raised
here in Wilmington, both graduated from Hoggard High School and relocated
to Brooklyn, New York. It was there that Kinlaw and Keller embarked on
SoftSpot and for the last year and a half, they have been writing and playing
music together. They recorded and released Ardour, a nine-song LP with a
haunting, dreamy collection of tracks. The duo then became a three-piece
after the solicitation of drummer Andrew Spaulding. It was then that Keller
said SoftSpot "settled into more of a collaborative unit." With new direction, the
band has been writing and working on material for a second album that's slated
for a Fall 2011 release. Almost all of their current touring material consists of
songs written with Spaulding, which solidifies the band's new weight and excites
audiences for the new album.
The elements colliding in SoftSpot's music create something fresh and
atmospheric. Alive with ambient instrumental textures, emotive lyrics, and
sparrow-like vocals, their sound is what the band calls "old school new age."
They strive for strong, emotional elements, as they feel such a connection
between the music and the listener is significant to their songwriting. The result
is a dream-pop array of songs that deliver an atmosphere of European folklore
similar to that of Sigur Ros and Jonsi. The band claims to be more inspired
by Southeast folklore, which can be heard in their drumming style, use of the
ukelele, and the occasional raw, chanting quality of Kinlaw's voice. "We strive
to transcend a gap of experimentalism and accessibility," Keller said of the
band's musical elements. "We want something unique, but not full-out familiar."
Watching SoftSpot perform live maximizes all of these components. With an
emotional energy that can't quite be captured in recordings, the band abandons
reservation and lets their songs climb into them while they play. Each layer of the
song surges forward, which is perhaps the reason they aren't unaccustomed to
fans claiming they were moved to tears during a live show.
In addition to their sincere reach for a musician-listener connection, SoftSpot
also tries to collaborate with other artists whenever they can. They utilized the
artistic vision of local Wilmington artist Meredith Connolly, who constructed
a glowing stalactite installation for their April 12th performance at Satellite
Bar & Lounge. The band has worked with acclaimed Wilmington-native artist
Molly Gottschalk, a good friend and "life stylist" of Kinlaw's, for art direction on
their music video for "Half a House". They've also collaborated with director/
cinematographer Ryan Dickie for "Half a House", as well as Jessica Collins, artist
and director of their music video for "Bones". Both videos are highly artistic and
the collaborations carry out the artistic conversation quite beautifully. "I try to
collaborate as much as I can," says Kinlaw. "It's really important to me. I think
the more that all of us can get together and work together, creatively… that's
where it's at."
In addition to SoftSpot's earnestness in seeking what all good art should seek,
each member was incredibly unpretentious in my conversation with them. They
felt like someone I'd meet at a show – lovers of music, themselves, just trying
to create a genuine human connection through art and music. They've already
gained me as a fan and I'm sure they'll be collecting far more in the next year.
