The strength of a Fleet Foxes show is the same one you’ll find on their albums: beautiful songs and gorgeous harmonies; and if you aren’t in love with their recordings, you probably won’t fall in love with their shows. Last night, the comfort with which the band sailed through their marvelous songs, and the presence of cool mountain air these songs manage to evoke, was probably best encapsulated by guitarist Skyler Skjelset. His guitar was so crisp and audible, and he plays so many key parts burned in our memory of the songs, that I couldn’t help feeling terrified for him–one small slip of a note and we’d recognize it as if it’d been a personal betrayal. There were no such betrayals, however, and to our delight, the band was also quite chatty. (Update: Videos and more photos from the show)
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Download “Get Yourself Home” and “West Won” | There was only one chain of thought that kept untangling in my head while I was watching These United States at Union Hall last night: I love them, I love them, I love them! When will they play here next, because I want to see them again! As much as I treasure their albums (latest is Crimes, which came out on Sept 23), the band really needs to be seen live. They get grittier, crispier, louder, and Jesse’s “weathered” voice, which easily helps sift the band out as a great amongst the goods, sounds even more magnificient in person.
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Download “Thread” | By the time Austin’s post-rock, instrumental quartet This Will Destroy You began to set up after Joemca’s opening set, the crowd in the cozy basement had thickened and moved right up front. The intense scrutiny that followed from a wall of faithful fans as the four members quaintly plugged this and that on a stage that is perhaps only a foot high is one of the rarities offered by the dimly lit Union Hall. There was a persistent guitar hum that Chris King eventually shrugged off with a mildly (very mildly) frustrated smile, but the sound that followed was pretty explosive for that tiny room (and the hum all but forgotten). At other shows I’ve seen there, including Andrew Bird’s secret gathering with the amazing Martin Dosh, and St. Vincent’s wildly expressive set, I don’t recall the sound being so well-suited for these muddy walls. The band members were pretty quiet, not uttering a single word, except when a drum stick flew off Andrew Miller’s hand, and Jeremy Galindo mouthed “thank you” to the fan who picked it up and returned it. The set, though, was consistently solid and immersive, and Andrew Miller was insane on the drums.
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Download “Klara” | This was my first time seeing Olof Arnalds as a frontwoman–all previous performances being that of Mum, when she stood in one corner or the other, trading guitar for violin, violin for melodica, melodica for bells, and basically immersing herself in the beautiful clutter that used to be Mum (I still love them, but now they’re a different sort of clumsy). So I was pleasantly surprised that as a frontwoman Olof Arnalds is quite chatty, and those of us who found the expression “tuning this is a bitch” in her soft-spoken, thick Icelandic accent charmingly hilarious must just be forgiven (I’m sure it’ll be less funny the second time anyway, so don’t fret). She started with what sounded like would be the intro track of her new album, and I suppose it was gutsy of her to not only speak over it, explaining what instruments would be implemented in the recording, how this would come in and that, but also kicking the whole thing off with a request to sing along, adding, “Now this is where it gets louder, so you have to be louder too”.
All pictures, and story continued, after the jump.
Last evening’s Regina Spektor show at McCarren Pool was pretty much perfect, despite the rain and a tornado warning, and I say that mainly because she seemed to have made all the right choices. As a new album approaches, I hope these are a sign of having managed to regain control after being led by others in the industry:
She’s dropped the horrid guitar-bass-drum band since the last time I saw her–their presence also weakened her last album, Begin To Hope. This time she played a segment and part of the three-song encore (”Us” & “Samson”) with a two-piece (or three?) string section that provided just the right amount of accent to the piano’s gorgeous sound, without overwhelming it one bit. The cello’s sound, in particular, was warm and fantastic.
All photos, by Kashish, and more stories after the jump.
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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.
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.
