Into lap of Luxury falls good fortune
By Barry Thompson | Thursday, July 9, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Music News
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If the Grammys had an award for Most Ironically Named Band, Boston’s up-and-coming the Luxury would nab it.

But fresh off an upset victory at WBCN [website]’s Rock N’ Roll Rumble, the quintet is a lot closer to living up to its name.

“Even when we were onstage at the finals, we were pretty sure there was no chance we were going to win,” charismatic frontman Jason Dunn said by phone. “When it all came together like that, it took us a few days to stop partying and focus on what we were doing. But we had the album pretty much finished in my studio. Suddenly we won time in all these different studios in Boston. So we were like, ‘All right guys, let’s get in there and do it again.’ ”

The Luxury has come a long way since 2005 when Dunn, formerly of the Halogens, joined forces with some now-departed members to play a one-off set of Oasis tunes. Now, after racking up the Rumble’s stamp of approval and making good use of the resulting free studio time, the Luxury - which also includes guitarist Daanen Krouth, drummer Steve Foster, bassist Justin Day and keyboardist Steven Borek - will mark the release of its lavish sophomore record, “In the Wake of What Won’t Change,” at the Paradise on Saturday.

“In the Wake” was recorded at six studios over the course of two weeks, which isn’t apparent given the expertly polished, extravagantly layered wallop it packs. The album is a sprawling slice of hard pop with tasteful smatterings of synth, horns, hand claps and even theremin. This is what happens when an unsigned indie band suddenly has professional-level resources at its disposal.

“You can build or restore the nicest car in the world,” Dunn said, “but if you’ve got no gas in it, it’s not going to do anything. It’s just going to sit there and look pretty. What we’ve been doing for a long time, with very little backing and not too many people paying attention, is fine-tuning this vehicle that we really wanted to take out and tear up some asphalt with. Or whatever. The Rumble filled up the car, so we’re just like, ‘All right, let’s take this baby for a spin’.”

The Luxury, with the Click Five, MidAtlantic and Aloud, at the Paradise, Saturday. Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 day of show; 617-562-8800.