When the four-man harmony on ALO’s song “Man of the World” kicks in, it’s hard not to hear a whisper of the Grateful Dead. And those with an inclination to dismiss ALO as a bunch of tree-hugging, granola-munchers will no doubt be emboldened by the fact that the band is signed to Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records. But as with most of life’s phenomena, things are rarely as simple as they seem. Attempt to deconstruct ALO’s sound, and you’ll find yourself tunneling through a veritable multi-layered musical burrito. This is in no small part due to the band’s interplay of instruments, which at times calls to mind the sonic lushness of Wilco. That said, these guys skew a little more Jack Johnson than Jeff Tweedy with their upbeat rhythms and overall grooviness. But who are the nay sayers to say nay to a little sunshine now and then?
Wed., Feb. 10, 7 p.m., 2010
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