“I’m an idiot, if you haven’t noticed,” Will Wiesenfeld said to the crowd. It was certainly a surprising statement. Last Tuesday night at the Majestic Theater, Wiesenfeld and his music project Baths showed what sets him apart from other electronica musicians and why his popularity is growing so rapidly.
Baths has found greater success since the release of Obsidian, Wiesenfeld’s newest album. He stripped away any euphemism found in his first album, Cerulean, and plunged into darkness with Obsidian. The lyrics can be disturbingly dark at times and the music fitting throughout. The strength of Obsidian, though, lies in how palatable Wiesenfeld makes it sound.
Time Wharp and Jerome LOL opened for the main act and the musical styles of the three acts were fairly similar. Each had their own flavor of electronic music, but the entire concert felt musically coherent.
Time Wharp and Jerome LOL both fluctuated between upbeat and downbeat sounds, layering sound upon sound to almost dizzying effect. Time Wharp played nearly his entire set without breaks; Jerome LOL took the occasional pause between songs.
Both sets lasted roughly an hour each, which felt far too long. Especially given the nonstop nature of both Time Wharp and Jerome LOL’s music, it would have been nice to have cut each set in half. Seeing even some of both openers would wear out most concertgoers trying to see Baths’ whole set.
What the two performances did do, however, was highlight why fans and critics alike love and admire Wiesenfeld.
Many electronica musicians have introverted stage presences, rocking their body to rhythms and barely speaking during their sets. Jerome LOL was mildly social at best, and Time Wharp’s set featured virtually no speaking. To those used to showmanship and theatrics, it can be underwhelming. To veterans of electronic music, it comes with the territory. When approached with the right attitude, an electronic show can still be highly enjoyable, even if the musician seems to be on another planet.
Wiesenfeld does not follow this trend. He made fun of himself and others in the crowd but was always amicable enough to get away with it. Between songs, he was all smiles and jokes. Wiesenfeld has a simple charm, and it’s infectious.
Starting with his popular hit “Miasma Sky,” Wiesenfeld asked, “Are you maybe here to help me hurt myself?” The contrast between his dark, brooding music and his antics on stage was stark. But it helped invest the crowd in his music, keeping their attention throughout the performance. It also stopped the darkness of his music from setting an overbearing tone.
Tuesday night’s performance demonstrated how talent and personality have allowed Baths to reach a whole new group of listeners that would otherwise be turned off by electronic music. While lesser known artists often cross over to find mainstream success, it’s rare for such a distinctive and dark artist to do the same. Wiesenfeld seems to be positioning himself to do just that. Should Baths continue to impress both on stage and in the studio, the project seemed destined for success.
