I came across Pollyn when perusing the lineup for the Sunset Junction Street Fair. Held in Los Angeles Saturday August 21st through Sunday August 22nd, Sunset Junction features a full two days of artists, vendors, and bands (local, national, and international) on five different stages. Pollyn played on the cheekily-titled Fold stage (aka the local stage) at 5 o’clock in the afternoon.

I was at first struck by their unusual lineup: in addition to the standard guitarist, drummer, bassist, and laptop monitor, Pollyn featured two female back up vocalists/trombonists/percussionists to support lead vocalist Genevieve Artadi along with stellar female keyboard player Danielle Firouzi. Her keyboard solos were absolutely astounding, her fingers pounding the keys with a ferocious intensity unmatched by anything else I saw at the fair yesterday. In a world dominated by mostly male bands, it was refreshing to see a female-heavy group hold their own onstage.

Regardless of the multiple sound issues, the heavy electronic and disco beats came through under Genevieve’s soft, girlish voice. The vocal lines reminded me a little of Pat Benatar and Diana Ross, the lyrics about love, bucking conventions, and following your dreams. The band was surprisingly cohesive for a group of eight people, and there was a sense of respect among the members that let the solos shine without making the soloists seem like they were ‘hamming it up’.

The energy onstage went from a warm simmer to smoldering, Genevieve’s shimmery gold top against the other member’s dark clothing adding to the futuristic new-wave vibe. The band played their hearts out, but the crowd was a little lacking in participation until the end of the show. I think it was because Pollyn’s sound is decidedly more ‘night owl’ than ‘early bird’. I’d be interested to see Pollyn perform at a club into the wee hours of the morning, their blend of weighty beats and bright pop illuminating the darkness in which the night-dwellers reside.

Pollyn’s album This Little Night is available on iTunes, and they are currently finishing their second album Living in Patterns. A remix EP will be released on August 31st entitled ‘Shake Out the Other Side’. For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/pollyn.

 

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