Little Dragon

(Le) Poisson Rouge; Sat 21

Little Dragon

Photograph: Studio Seek

For a revelatory debut from an idiosyncratic Swedish pop group, Little Dragon’s eponymous 2007 LP didn’t generate much blog hype. Instead, reports of its brilliance spread slowly and, anachronistically, via word of mouth, as well as through the efforts of radio DJs like Gilles Peterson and Garth Trinidad of L.A.’s KCRW. The album, available in the U.S. only as an import, is more than two years old now, but it still feels sort of brand new.

Nonetheless, the quartet is already touring behind a sophomore effort with a slightly tweaked sound. Little Dragon presciently meshed icy, down-tempo electronica with jazzy, organic neosoul; Machine Dreams, issued domestically by the Peacefrog label last month, is more mixed-up but equally entrancing. Divided almost evenly between ghostly dirges and jaunty synth-pop, the record’s sonic vocabulary evokes Tears for Fears and Depeche Mode, rather than the American R&B of its predecessor. But Japanese-American singer Yukimi Nagano—her voice breathy and sensuous, earthy yet pixieish—remains dependably soulful, sounding something like a European Erykah Badu.

Still settling on a sound, Little Dragon is not afraid to chart new territory live. And despite its rigid pop-song structures, the group was loose and improvisational during its NYC debut at (Le) Poisson Rouge last November. Arguably the only venue in the city equally suited to chamber music, jazz and hip-hop, LPR was a perfect fit, and should be again this time.—Jesse Serwer

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