Brooklyn's
Brad Oberhofer, who has opened for Twin Sister and Sondre Lerche and will later play with Bear in Heaven and at Pop Montreal in October, is slowly but surely making 2010 the year that fans and critics alike recognize his unusual artist moniker. Earlier in the year he self-released his EP
o0O0o0O0o for free, resulting in its songs being spread from blog to blog like a rabid virus. His debut 7" will be released on the 24th, but before then he took his interweb tunes to Mercury Lounge's stage.
Oberhofer barked and pleaded, shimmied and bounced. A cap sat unbalanced atop his wavy curls, a polka-dotted pocket was sewn onto his plain pale blue button down, and what looked like a bunny decal lay smack right in the middle of his guitar. It's these few elements that make him a big character, one prescribed to a little bit of madness despite his casual everyday look. His songs, a blend of kooky sounds and lo-fi indie pop, also follow suit. Loud pings on a xylophone, the kitschy cuteness of a toy piano and the alternating between tepid singing voice and startling shriek are all intertwined with some 19-year-old dude normalcy: he's trying to convince a girl to move in with him on "Haus," waits for a phone call on "Landline," and deals with separation on "Away FRM U" (tracks that can be found on the free EP). He's in your face (in a good way), without really being in your face (in a bad way).-
michelle geslani
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Pictures:Oberhofer at Mercury Lounge
Oberhofer on Myspace