Posts about Brooklyn Masonic Temple
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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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Download “Sunrise” | Download “2080″ | Before Man Man took stage, Yeasayer played. I’d been pretty frustrated with Coyote’s opening set, I hadn’t enjoyed it at all, so when Yeasayer finally started, it was no less than hills awash with sun beams. I love how this band is devoid of any nonsense, how the four work so well together despite appearing to have very different personalities (especially their sense of fashion). It was a completely cohesive sound, and there was no trace of disconnect. The singing is filled with great details, both on stage and off. And I’m not sure if the effect was heightened by not enjoying Coyote’s songwriting, but what shines in Yeasayer for me is the determination to do nothing less than push the form we call music to uncertain boundaries, where beautiful things eventually happen. Sun beams
All photos after the jump
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I can’t imagine Man Man not kicking ass, so needless to say, the show kicked ass. More importantly: before they went on stage and while they set up, Beach Boys’ “Kokomo” played on repeat for about a hundred times, but it was followed by Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, which outdid “Kokomo” by roughly a million more repeats. Funniest was the irresistibility of both tunes: there wasn’t a single person setting up the stage that wasn’t singing along, and of course there were sing-along’s amongst the audience as well. But more convincing were the groans every time the song started fresh after a brief silence. The crowd was wild during Man Man’s set. I’m not sure how I feel about the venue.
A lot of pictures after the jump.
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