I loved Tune Yard’s opening set–but more on that later. Here’s Beirut:
After covering Serge Gainsburg at last night’s show, Zach Condon of Beirut said, “We played that song more for us than for you, sorry.” That’s probably why it sounded great, and it’s probably why their strongest performances of the night were all covers, which included the final closer,”Brazil”, and a signature tune from A Hawk and the Hacksaw they were really excited about (Zach said “We will play it forever”). It wasn’t that these songs, written by someone else, were necessarily stronger compositions to begin with (though they were solid songs), but it felt like the band sounded best when it was least self-conscious, or least aware of its own fame, because it was distracted away from all of the “I love you Zach’s” by the songs they actually love playing. I guess this is more a criticism of the fame they’ve had to deal with than of the band itself, but last night’s show was not a show you’d want to pay $100 for on Craigslist. The songs felt like they needed to be out on the street again, or at the corner of some small cafe, like they needed to go back where they’d originated, come up for air–they’d lost a little bit of their spirit and a little bit of their love.
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Download “Una Dia Otra Noche” | Playing a first show in New York from a little-known record must be nerve-wracking, but when it’s an early show at Joe’s Pub on a Tuesday night, I suppose it’s going to be extra rough; especially when the tickets are priced at $15 a piece, without any supporting acts or acts to support. But that’s how it goes at Joe’s Pub, and though the room was mostly bare except for supportive friends and possibly a few fans, Allá’s performance was pretty solid. However, despite seven years of labor over El Tiempo and the technical proficiency they showed last night, the band hasn’t quite probed into its heart to pull out a bloody bunny yet. Continue after the jump.
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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.
All pictures inside
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It all sounded the same during an early Fiery Furnaces show at Southpaw, but I can’t say it wasn’t intended to, and not that any of it wasn’t good. Two sets of keyboards laid the foundation for the jams, and Eleanor Friedberger sang coolly with radiant eyes, whether the topic was a lost dog, husbands, or sons of bitches. Stories after stories her voice never faltered, while the cut of her face to the jerks of her movement all matched the aesthetic of the music. She cannot not be the face of the sound, an incarnation of a summer at least four decades old. Her brother Matthew warmed the stage with grinding keys, goofy smiles, forgotten lyrics and an ocassional cheer for Kyle Hollingsworth from String Cheese Incident who took on the second set of keys. While he and the drummer took a beer break backstage, Eleanor played drums while Mathew sang with missing lyrics.
Photos after the jump
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Last night was my second time watching Múm since they formed a new line-up. At St. Paul the Apostle Church last year (pictures at the end of this post) I found the band’s Wordless performance to be lacking. They’d said they’d written up a special set list to complement the very special venue, but what appeared to be a toning-down of their whimsical percussive sound, especially the drumming, seemed like the wrong choice to me. I thought the opening trio Torngat (more on them later) outdid Múm in making a truly awesome use of the venue’s awesome presence. But last night at Brooklyn Masonic Temple, with no special setlist, I felt the same void in the new Múm. The performance was very good, and at times straight-up great, but with the new members, or I should say with the absence of Kria Brekken, Múm is a different band.
All photos and more after the jump
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The thing is, standing in front of a perfectly smooth swathe of solid paint can leave you feeling completely nourished, and being in the midst of craftsmanship can really get you excited. So of course Murkami’s show at Brooklyn Museum was inspiring. It was brilliant. But I’m not a big fan of Murakami’s style. I appreciate his full submission to the power of colors and the drama of simple shapes, his unwavering tribute to aesthetics, and I appreciate more than anything his commitment to perfection, but I’m not in any way blown away by his vision. From a friend of a friend who worked for him (many of the pieces she worked on were up), I know that an outrageous amount of work from various people have gone into the show, which is only evident.
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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.
