Saturday July 19, 2008 (9pm)
The Hotel Café gets a triple dose of bubble gum tonight, courtesy of three irrepressibly optimistic bands from art rock's poppy edge. Willoughby are the chillest of the three, with silvery, smile-through-your-melancholy melodies. His Orchestra are a young outfit with a taste for layering tinkly electronic ear candy over soothing head-bobbers. But no one raises the bar for exquisitely crafted, orchestral (and danceable) indie folk like Emily Wells, who's celebrating the release of her ambitious new album. The Symphonies: Dreams Memories and Parties has been years in the making, and its soaring arrangements and heartbreaking harmonies are well worth the wait.
– Shana Nys Dambrot