Hunter Boyle

This photo of Hi-Fi Sky, taken at the Gatherings concert in 2006, features singer Alexandra Scott and guitarist Alex Maiolo (Tim Sommer not shown). Figures my first blog post since 2006 would spring from a photo taken back then.

What this photo doesn’t convey is the haunting sounds the band conjured up that night. It was the first concert the New Orleans-based band had played since Hurricane Katrina, and as part of the Gatherings series, it was held in St. Mary’s Cathedral in Philly.

Their music has a dreamlike quality that springs from a mix of genres: ambient, classical, shoegazer and dreampop, among others. You could dissect the music and find countless stylistic influences, but in the end, what matters is how seamlessly those sonic bits and pieces combine to create a rich, soulful sound. Considering the band’s electronic underpinnings, that’s no small feat. And it’s a testament to Scott’s vocal prowess and stage presence that Hi-Fi Sky’s songs can be both uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. Scott is an amazing singer, and on songs like Belle Louisiane, her emotional performance on that particular evening was especially poignant. I suppose that’s why, almost a year and a half later, on Valentine’s Day, this photo stood out and compelled me to spill these thoughts. If that’s not the definition of music that moves you, I don’t know what is.