Rockin' Our Turntable: Be Nice

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 2, 2010 8:40PM

With the superabundance of synthpop and indie electronic acts out there, music seems to be becoming more and more over-mechanized and detached from human emotion. So it's refreshing when an artist like Justin Cancelliere comes along. He's a solo musician new to Chicago who plays under the moniker Be Nice and manages to balance electronic patterns with shamelessly emotional lyrical balladry.

Be Nice also recently released an album, Both and Spiraling More, most of which Cancelliere wrote during his last year of college before returning to his home in Cleveland to give the album its finishing touches. And the youthful simplicity of his lyrics affirms this, reflecting on, as he says, relationships, identity and “experiences that became memories that I wanted to preserve.” Spiraling opens with “Feeling Again,” featuring gentle vocals over a dreamy, rippling synth hook before launching into glitchy, mechanized blips and a bass-heavy, danceable beat.

But Spiraling's real gems come toward the end of the album, like the trancy heartbreak beat “Two Summers” and the lush, emotionally driven “Body Needs Rest.” Perhaps the strongest track, “Heartbeating,” opens quietly with oscillating ethereal vocals, but becomes more complex, layering a steady drum beat, bass and twangy synth as the song progresses. The heavy, warm rhythm mimics a heartbeat, even increasing pace as the song climaxes and then stopping abruptly, leaving only Cancelliere half-whispering simply, “I think about her everyday/She was my friend/We haven’t spoken for a long time.”

The lyrics at times risk sounding like the poetry of a depressed high schooler. But they aren’t cryptic or pretentious, and Cancelliere’s conversational tone feels pleasantly intimate, like the wine-induced confessions of a close friend. Maybe his music sounds so sincere because of his uncontriving writing method - he constantly records material, selects what he likes over time and gradually develops it into songs. Be Nice plans to start actively spreading his music by playing more shows, so chances are you’ll see him around Chicago in the future performing tracks from Spiraling as well as some of his unreleased material. You can check him out Monday at the Elbo Room, accompanied by Blue Odder, Chris Bell and Lucas Carpenter.

Be Nice plays Monday, March 8 at the Elbo Room, 2871 N Lincoln, 8 pm, $7, 21+