Beyond the Pale

For the past four years, the husband-and-wife team of singer and guitarist Jen Johnson and drummer Mike Latulippe have fronted Velah, a rather excellent Boston-area indie-rock outfit. Johnson went on record saying that Pale Hands, the duo’s barely year-old electronic band, came about after they wrote a bunch of songs that just couldn’t work for Velah. It’s the sort of thing you’re supposed to say when launching an electronic side project (see: Broken Bells, Postal Service), even if it’s not altogether true.

The songs on Spirit Hands, Pale Hands’ debut EP from last year, could work just fine if played on Stratocasters. But it’s how pumped the duo seems to be playing around with their new electronic toys that gives the band its draw.

Throughout, Johnson and Latulippe sound like a couple of rock kids finally getting a chance to work out their love for Depeche Mode and Cocteau Twins on record. How else to explain the cheesy but catchy ’70s retro-synth which sounds like it was pulled directly from Kraftwerk’s Autobahn. Or the “It’s Mechanical!” chorus on the robo-romantic single “Frantic.”

Mostly, Pale Hands seems like a sort of widescreen sonic atmosphere for Johnson’s cinematic voice to stretch out over. “Under Over” may be the best to that end, a slow-burning ballad that gradually boils over with a thrilling show of vocal prowess. That voice should have no trouble filling the Wandering Goat when the band rolls through Eugene this Friday.

Pale Hands plays 8 pm Friday, Dec. 18, at Wandering Goat, 268 Madison Street; $5. 21-plus.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!