There’s little in Mates of State that can be pin-pointed as lacking. The marriage of lively drums and rich organs is a natural click, and Jason Hammel’s folksy voice provides an earthy texture to Kori Gardner’s smooth. Yet, the band is a hit or miss. Most conversations I overheard seemed to indicate that those holding privileged press passes and special tickets at Mercury Lounge’s “secret show” loved the it, but I found most of the songs kept slipping off, there was little to grab on to. Despite a “fucked up cable” that led to Jason’s microphone problems, I enjoyed the cover of “These Days” the most, clearly because it easily stuck out as a great song among the other fleeting ones. The dusty timbre of his voice gave the cover a nice tone, though the addition of violin and cello overdramatized it. No matter which way you sing it, “These Days” is inherently a sullen song; I’m not a big fan of emphasizing the sadness when it’s already present in the very molecules of the tune. The presence of the two brothers on violin and cello was an enjoyable presence nonetheless, and you probably need to be in a certain state of mind to adore the music of Mates of State.
With the impromptu show at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Beirut has redeemed itself since the last time they played New York City. There were a few things wrong at Delacorte Theater in Central Park last fall (pictured above, and throughout this post). From where I sat, the very last row and almost the very last column to the right of the stage, the band’s sound fizzled into an unrealized imitation of the Balkan. The seated crowd had been asked to “throw their hands in the air and wave ‘em like they just don’t care” by the preceding hyperactive Balkan Beat Box, and the crowd had obeyed without hesitation, but throughout Beirut’s set, the energy was mute. When my friends of Eastern European heritage (rightful Balkan snobs) scoffed and left (“seriously, I don’t get it”), I stationed myself at one of the photo pits, center-front of the stage, and the sound was no different from what I’d heard at the amazing Bowery Ballroom shows.
Continued, and more photos from the Central Park show after the jump.
As it turns out, it was to toss a few new songs at the learned ears of loyal fans that Beirut pulled together a very last-minute show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Along with the buzz that tickets would soon go on sale had come a letter from frontman Zach, saying the band would be canceling European dates set for the summer, feeling a reinvention and a “fresh perspective” was in order. Having heard the few new songs tonight, and seeing that the band is in a pretty top shape, I’m now confident these urgent steps lead to a strengthened Beirut. While previous recordings may have been a commendable homage to the street musicians that sparked a vision in Zach, while in Paris, the new songs indicate inheritance of specks of dust of what remains of the Yugoslavian soul. If these songs truly represent what is to come, we will finally be able to say: not only does Beirut pay tribute to Kocani Orkestar, it plays music of the same league. Even if I’m disappointed by the rest and the new music doesn’t get there yet, it seems to be on its way. Zach also sang a pleasant Portuguese song, which said to me: he’s still got his palms open for what other bits of soul the wind might bring.
Read Part II or view the full post to see what Zach looks like when reading the lyrics of a Portuguese song.
Nick Broomfield’s documentary-style film weaves a 360-degree story around the Haditha killings of November 2005 in Iraq. He’s put together a great cast of non-actors, mostly featuring former US Marines and Iraqi refugees in Jordan, where the movie was shot on location. Not referring to the explicit language, I found the conversations to be blunt and lacking subtleties, but you’ll find plenty of nuances in the complicated folds of the story itself. Besides, it seems Broomfield was going for rawness (there was a lot of improvisation involved), and through the events surrounding one incident, the jab is at a bigger truth. Bigger truths just happen to make perfect stories, but I suppose you’ve got to compress the lines if you’re going to get anywhere near?
Former US Marine ElliotRuiz gives an incredible performance. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the QA with him and Broomfield (can you believe it)! Film Forum is showing the movie through May 20.
hooves on the turf is a mostly-music blog based out of brooklyn. i can be reached at hoovesontheturf [at] gmail [dot] com - please send me your lovely music as an attached mp3 or an mp3 link. if i like what you send, i'll be sure to ask for more.
Evan Hammer: and now i’m excited too! thanks for the new band.
Jens: Where can I order t-shirts from the Tallest Man On Earth online? Is it possible at all?
nat lyon: three cheers for secret garden! it’s been too long.
jamie: Yo! You should definitely check out this awesome video MPLS.TV just shot of Dark Dark Dark this week for City...
sarahana: they were taken with the new iPhone 4 using the Hipstamatic app
