CHICAGO | On November 25, Sen Morimoto came to Thalia Hall, kicking off his Diagnosis tour alongside Neptune’s Core and Angelica Garcia. The show was a call for communal warmth and musical celebration, as Morimoto made his live debut of Diagnosis, a conceptual, nuanced, Neo-Soul project released on November 3.
Opening on the bill with Morimoto was Neptune’s Core, a ridiculously talented and harmonically rich group out of Chicago. From the first chord, the audience was immediately captivated by their collective stage presence and catchy songs. The live mix from the sound engineers at Thalia Hall was impeccable during the entire night, but Neptune’s Core sounded especially crisp. The band blended a variety of sonic influences invoking Led Zeppelin, Lana Del Ray and My Bloody Valentine. I got to speak briefly with Jackie Cywinski (Guitar/vocals) after their set and found out that the band consisted of four high schoolers — two freshmen and two seniors. This is certainly a band to watch as their sound continues to evolve. My favorite track of the night was “Fated Star,” a luscious shoe-gaze banger with plentiful harmonies and twinkling guitar.
Following Neptune’s Core was Angelica Garcia who defined herself as. “A One Woman Robot Orchestra.” I don’t know if a better combination of words could be used to describe Angelica and her immersive soundscapes. She stood alone in front of two microphones and a loop machine. It was incredible to watch Angelica build each song from the beginning using only her voice and some pre-recorded loops, including bass that sent the whole venue’s heart through its collective chest. I hadn’t heard Angelica’s music before the show, but I was mesmerized during her entire set. While Angelica’s intense art-pop stylings were a significant transition from Neptune’s Core, she did a phenomenal job getting the audience involved and showcasing her warm personality. Look out for Angelica Garcia’s new record set to be released sometime next year.
There was a palpable shift in energy as Sen Morimoto and his band of gifted musicians took the stage. This was the first full live performance of Sen Morimoto’s new LP Diagnosis, which offers a compelling and relatable take on modern technological and artistic evolution. The record and the performance were rightfully cynical regarding the overall devaluation of pure artistic motivation — as most artists in the social media era are forced to turn their creativity into content to feed the algorithms. While the topics of climate responsibility, existential dread, and political discomfort are prevalent in the material, it is hard to ignore how much fun everyone was having both on stage and in the pit. The feeling in the crowd was infectious — although the album had only been out for about a week — audience members were singing along and deeply impacted by the material.
Ryan Person on drums was an absolute masterclass ripping tight fills and carrying the rhythm section through each song. Sen’s vocals and saxophone playing was captivating as well, and has always been a point of interest for me going back to his work as a rapper/producer for Massachusetts art collective, Dark World. Sen Morimoto’s artistic evolution is extremely satisfying as a fan, and the Diagnosis tour’s inaugural show certainly did the new record justice.
Thanks so much to Sen Morimoto’s record label Sooper Records for sending me out to cover the show! Check out the Diagnosis tour in a city near you.
All photos taken by Aden Van Hollander