Over in our forums, Swan269 started a thread about Gang of Youths song “Keep Me in the Open”:
The song comes alive for me when he begins to sing instead of speak. One can feel the emotion start to rise. The band then wakes up with a steady beat as Dave begins to plead for answers and then…
Swan269
…and then you’ll have to check out the rest of the post in our forum to find out the rest.
We’ll collect reviews of the album here as we find them:
MTV Unplugged is an acoustic show of their best songs off their latest album. Although the stripped back version lacks loud guitars, there are so many complimentary components throughout the set.
The album includes intimate pre-song moments like Le’aupepe’s touching introduction to and performance of Persevere, which he did alone on-stage at his piano – a sombre, beautiful moment of unadulterated reflection. Still Unbeaten Life from 2016’s Let Me Be Clear EP may seem an obscure for a closing track given the band’s glittering back catalogue, but it was a stirring choice, closing the set full of kindness and hope.
By no means is their Unplugged performance disappointing; it just doesn’t live up to the highs that I know the band are capable of in not only a studio setting, but also a full live show experience.
Moments of pain and trauma can be heard all throughout this album, as can moments of bliss and a sense of self. The talent of Le’aupepe, Malani, Kim, Max Dunn, and Donnie Borzestowski is unfathomable. Nothing can match this. I’m calling it. Gang of Youths are a perfect band.
In advance of their performance on Austin City Limits, the band was interviewed on 101X on their Facebook Live page.
