Au was super at Monkeytown; photos
Download “We Are Animals” | There isn’t really any standing room at Monkeytown; the performance space is like someone’s spacious living room. It’s a nice square, at least, with video projections on all four walls, all along which guests seat themselves either on low canvas couches or spare chairs, and dinner and drinks can be had on the slim, low tables that you’ll share with few other guests if you’re a party of less than 4. The performance takes place at the center of this room, sans stage, and coupled with the proximity to the artist and a very low capacity, it makes for a unique “concert-going” experience.
Being a collective, Portland’s Au is mostly a big band that should be expected to vary in tour-size. Last night they played as a duo, consisting of the amazing Dana Vlatka on drums and founder Luke Wyland on everything else (keyboards plus gadgetry). At first I worried, as I worry with every Broken Social Scene show, “Where are the girl singers?”. But within the first song, I made two notes: (1) go see Au again at Spiegeltent on September 29th, opening for the Dodos (2) recommend everyone else to do so.
All photos and review continued after the jump.
Some parts of the album–this year’s Verbs–move a little too slow for me, but it felt considerably less so live. After the first song, Luke asked if the sound was muddy. The vocal was, throughout the show, but it didn’t seem to matter much. There was a constant wave of fantastic drumming to carry the weight of the record, and over that foundation even little bursts of claps and howls seemed to take integral roles in full form. In fact, my impression of the show was formed within the first 30 seconds of the set when Luke began by creating wonderful, warm layers from his melodica. That level of mastery persisted throughout.
CMJ’s Jason Glastetter happened to sit beside me, and he took some photos as well.
Label mate Mofongo played the opening set.
Monkeytown
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
August 12, 2008
