Hooves on the Turf

As I was watching Grizzly Bear play with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, I couldn’t help noticing how much of their music is really defined by restrain–their passages aren’t passages of growth, and there isn’t an overflow of any sort, which I guess is comparable to the economy of poems: all of the little bits are born fresh and sacrificed young, before anything is allowed to grow old, ever, by the time the song is over. The band mentioned that having an orchestra allowed them to play songs that they normally wouldn’t play, and while the orchestra sounded pristine, I don’t think there was a whole lot it could add to Grizzly Bear’s music anyway; it was more of a unique experience created for the sake of indulgence and pampering the senses, which allowed some people rare opportunities, such as to my neighbor who found himself annoyed when the audience greeted the beginnings of familiar songs with wild applause–it seemed that he felt you just don’t do that when there’s an orchestra involved, or if you’re at a venue like BAM.

On the other hand, the Brooklyn Philharmonic brought much more to Owen Pallett’s Final Fantasy, whose music has plenty of hidden doors for new plays and new twists. “Horse Feathers”, from the Plays to Please EP, was one song that especially came to full life. Owen, who usually weaves a whole world out of his violin loops, only played a little bit of piano in addition to singing, and announced himself to be a control freak for whom this sort of show was an exercise in trust. He found his moment for playfulness in some pieces of duct tape though: he placed two somewhere inside of his upright piano, and later ripped one at a time in sync with the music.

New York Times said:

Usually, though, Mr. Pallett practices an art of accretion, looping his own violin and keyboard parts to create chamber-pop arrangements in real time. Without that hint of sorcery, his performance felt almost ordinary. And because he isn’t a forceful or particularly magnetic singer, he sometimes sounded overwhelmed by the pomp.

…with which I agree, except I think his songs have too much of a life of their own to ever feel anything close to ordinary. But I’m sure Owen opting to sit behind the piano and sing without his violin sorcery is always slightly disappointing.

Helping both bands were Nico Muhly on the piano and Aaron Dessner of The National, and playing with Grizzly Bear was also Aaron’s twin and fellow National-er, Bryce Dessner. Spotted in the audience: Zach Condon of Beirut, Sebastian Krueger of Inlets, and I think I saw Farzad Houshiarnejad of Drink Up Buttercup.

I have some audio recordings from the show, and posted here are “Easier”, with which Grizzly Bear opened their set, and two new songs from Final Fantasy, which I really liked and which Owen Pallett said no one else had heard before. The recording quality isn’t exactly great, but I suppose it’s pretty decent if you didn’t make it to show and are curious about the orchestral marriage. I’ll post more songs in the coming days.

Download “Easier” by Grizzly Bear + the Brooklyn Philharmonic

Download two new songs by Final Fantasy + the Brooklyn Philarmonic