Every single time I make a pronouncement about the type of music I like and the type of music I don't, someone comes along and changes the way I think about a certain approach. One of my most steadfast beliefs is that an acoustic guitar alone cannot carry an album. In the "alone" part I may be right but Blind Pilot has shown me that an album of acoustically driven songs can be just as dynamic and interesting as Radiohead or Wilco.
First off, let me say that their album is vastly different from the live experience. On stage, these guys are able to make their mid-tempo numbers seem like break-neck speed metal (not really but their songs did seem more dynamic in their tempos live). On record, almost all the songs aim for and find their place in a sort of lazy, laidback rhythm that works really well. The percussion is really the only way to tell how fast a song is supposed to be.
The lead singer (whose name I don't know) has a high, resonant voice that really expresses emotions well (a little like a Jeff Buckley without quite such a range). The lyrics are thoughtful and engaging. The rest of the band brings in xylophones, banjos, trumpets and other instruments sparingly but enough to give each song its own flavor.
I almost never let a CD repeat in my player but I can't bring myself to take this one out. If you like chilled out acoustic americana, I recommend Blind Pilot.
Josh
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
I almost didn't finish this. Starting this book back during...January(?), it immediately got under my skin. I started having nightmares and a feeling of dread or unease followed me around. I didn't enjoy being made to feel terrified by a simple book so I put it aside to read some Vonnegut. Let me say, I am really glad I came back and finished it.
The book operates on at least two different levels (probably more). Johnny Truant, a wastrel in LA, is given a manuscript that belonged to his friend's elderly (and recently deceased neighbor) Zampano. Zampano was writing a 500+ page meditation on a movie called the Navidson Record, that was supposedly released in 1993. The movie is a documentary (maybe) about a family moving into a house in Virginia where extra rooms appear from nowhere and, eventually, they find an all-black corridor that extends into a maze. The story of the Navidson Record is the main narrative as we follow Will Navidson (a world-famous photographer) into an exploration of the dark labryinth that somehow manifests inside his house (it goes on for miles, defying all laws of physical space). There is plenty of horror as the cold, dark expanse starts dissolving the sanity of anyone who enters. This would be spooky enough but then you have the Johnny Truant parts of the book. Truant takes it upon himself to arrange and publish the annotations Zampano has compiled. In the footnotes of chapters, we get to see the effect that reading the book has on Truant. His psychological breakdown begins to mirror our own (if you are a sensitive reader) and we see things get very, very bad for Mr. Truant before it is all over.
In between these two narratives is the mystery of Zampano that you can kind of piece together using his own footnotes and editorial choices. Along with letters from Truant's mother from her time in a mental institution as well as drawings and photos from (and inspired by) the movie, it all adds up to a pretty harrowing view of mental illness, loneliness, depair and the power of ego. The real trick is in the way that the book is written. Danielewski uses all sorts of tricks (in a chapter about labyrinths, he makes his footnotes lead nowhere or double back on themselves) and stylistic choices to force the reader to read actively. You either jump into the book with both feet or it proves too much work and you stop reading. I doubt anyone has just casually read this book. The level of effort put into the reading then translates into the impact said reading has on your subconscious mind.
I will say two things, if you are not affected by this book in any way after having read it, I would be shocked. And, it is absolutely worth it to read the whole thing. There is kind of a climax halfway through the book when an exploration of the house goes completely wrong. This is where I laid the book down and tried to purge my mind of all the negative thoughts the book created. If I had plowed through (although in my defense, there is no hint from the author that relief is in sight) I would have walked away with a quite refreshing, almost joyful release from the ending. You can't say that things end happily for everyone involved but the truths that are illuminated and the insights one can then use for one's own life are pretty damn cool.
As a work of fiction, I think Danielewski has accomplished a pretty singular and amazing feat. If you let it in, this book will make you think about big, important things in your life. While it doesn't give many answers, the questions it presents are well worth the time. Plus, it is a scary as hell horror story to boot.
Josh
The book operates on at least two different levels (probably more). Johnny Truant, a wastrel in LA, is given a manuscript that belonged to his friend's elderly (and recently deceased neighbor) Zampano. Zampano was writing a 500+ page meditation on a movie called the Navidson Record, that was supposedly released in 1993. The movie is a documentary (maybe) about a family moving into a house in Virginia where extra rooms appear from nowhere and, eventually, they find an all-black corridor that extends into a maze. The story of the Navidson Record is the main narrative as we follow Will Navidson (a world-famous photographer) into an exploration of the dark labryinth that somehow manifests inside his house (it goes on for miles, defying all laws of physical space). There is plenty of horror as the cold, dark expanse starts dissolving the sanity of anyone who enters. This would be spooky enough but then you have the Johnny Truant parts of the book. Truant takes it upon himself to arrange and publish the annotations Zampano has compiled. In the footnotes of chapters, we get to see the effect that reading the book has on Truant. His psychological breakdown begins to mirror our own (if you are a sensitive reader) and we see things get very, very bad for Mr. Truant before it is all over.
In between these two narratives is the mystery of Zampano that you can kind of piece together using his own footnotes and editorial choices. Along with letters from Truant's mother from her time in a mental institution as well as drawings and photos from (and inspired by) the movie, it all adds up to a pretty harrowing view of mental illness, loneliness, depair and the power of ego. The real trick is in the way that the book is written. Danielewski uses all sorts of tricks (in a chapter about labyrinths, he makes his footnotes lead nowhere or double back on themselves) and stylistic choices to force the reader to read actively. You either jump into the book with both feet or it proves too much work and you stop reading. I doubt anyone has just casually read this book. The level of effort put into the reading then translates into the impact said reading has on your subconscious mind.
I will say two things, if you are not affected by this book in any way after having read it, I would be shocked. And, it is absolutely worth it to read the whole thing. There is kind of a climax halfway through the book when an exploration of the house goes completely wrong. This is where I laid the book down and tried to purge my mind of all the negative thoughts the book created. If I had plowed through (although in my defense, there is no hint from the author that relief is in sight) I would have walked away with a quite refreshing, almost joyful release from the ending. You can't say that things end happily for everyone involved but the truths that are illuminated and the insights one can then use for one's own life are pretty damn cool.
As a work of fiction, I think Danielewski has accomplished a pretty singular and amazing feat. If you let it in, this book will make you think about big, important things in your life. While it doesn't give many answers, the questions it presents are well worth the time. Plus, it is a scary as hell horror story to boot.
Josh
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
Peter Weir has built a career out of examining conflicts from an internal perspective. No matter what his characters are faced with, Weir would rather chart their internal reactions than their actions in the face of adversity. This dedication to character over plot is evident right away here in his sophomore movie, Picnic at Hanging Rock.*
Starring no one I've ever heard of, seriously, this movie is so commonly mistaken for a true story that even I thought it was real. By the end of the thing, credulity would have been stretched regardless but I was still willing to bite. The idea is that a class of girls in Australia in 1900 travel to Hanging Rock near the Outback for a picnic on Valentine's Day. Four girls go exploring and only one comes back (unfortunately, the annoying one). Like Reservoir Dogs or the Hangover, the central event of the movie is never witnessed. Not only do we not know what happened on the rock, we will never know exactly what went down. So don't watch this if you want concrete answers. There is a creepy air to the whole thing (although the first 20 minutes are excruciating since you don't know how long the story is going to play out) as characters are introduced, theories are created, authorities become involved and nothing much happens. The real revelation here is that we aren't really watching a movie about some girls vanishing, we are watching the story of Sara. Sara is an orphan who is left behind from the field trip and most definitely would have joined Miranda (the ethereal beauty who leads the girls on their ill-fated trek) had she been there. While all the hoopla is going on with the search for the missing girls, Sara is having a quiet battle of wills with the headmistress of the school, Mrs. Appleyard.
Everything goes a little Charles Dickens by the end but, mostly, the story holds up. Apparently, Weir looked for Australian bumpkins to play the girls at the school and ended up hiring a bunch of non-actors. This becomes painfully obvious from the stilted line readings and general suckiness of the performances. Also, the score is overwrought and Weir makes some shockingly bad decisions that ramp up the melodrama. Despite all these flaws, the story is compelling and engaging enough to keep you watching. If you like Weir's later works, you may like this one as well. For me, one viewing was enough but I see in this one the seeds of both Weir's future strengths (strong characterizations, mostly clear storytelling) and weaknesses (over-reliance on schmaltz and heartstring abuse). Watch with caution.
Josh
*If Weir's name is not familiar please run out and rent Gallipoli, Witness, Mosquito Coast, Dead Poet's Society, Fearless or the Truman Show.
Starring no one I've ever heard of, seriously, this movie is so commonly mistaken for a true story that even I thought it was real. By the end of the thing, credulity would have been stretched regardless but I was still willing to bite. The idea is that a class of girls in Australia in 1900 travel to Hanging Rock near the Outback for a picnic on Valentine's Day. Four girls go exploring and only one comes back (unfortunately, the annoying one). Like Reservoir Dogs or the Hangover, the central event of the movie is never witnessed. Not only do we not know what happened on the rock, we will never know exactly what went down. So don't watch this if you want concrete answers. There is a creepy air to the whole thing (although the first 20 minutes are excruciating since you don't know how long the story is going to play out) as characters are introduced, theories are created, authorities become involved and nothing much happens. The real revelation here is that we aren't really watching a movie about some girls vanishing, we are watching the story of Sara. Sara is an orphan who is left behind from the field trip and most definitely would have joined Miranda (the ethereal beauty who leads the girls on their ill-fated trek) had she been there. While all the hoopla is going on with the search for the missing girls, Sara is having a quiet battle of wills with the headmistress of the school, Mrs. Appleyard.
Everything goes a little Charles Dickens by the end but, mostly, the story holds up. Apparently, Weir looked for Australian bumpkins to play the girls at the school and ended up hiring a bunch of non-actors. This becomes painfully obvious from the stilted line readings and general suckiness of the performances. Also, the score is overwrought and Weir makes some shockingly bad decisions that ramp up the melodrama. Despite all these flaws, the story is compelling and engaging enough to keep you watching. If you like Weir's later works, you may like this one as well. For me, one viewing was enough but I see in this one the seeds of both Weir's future strengths (strong characterizations, mostly clear storytelling) and weaknesses (over-reliance on schmaltz and heartstring abuse). Watch with caution.
Josh
*If Weir's name is not familiar please run out and rent Gallipoli, Witness, Mosquito Coast, Dead Poet's Society, Fearless or the Truman Show.
Y: The Last Man review
I finally finished this ten volume series and I want to discuss it a bit. Beware, there may be spoilers ahead...
I had no idea how this series would end up but, narratively, it is not completely satisfying. I don't mean the resolution to the love story so much as the the implicit promise that the deaths of all the men on Earth would be explained. The "final" explanation doesn't really seem any more plausible than the mystic or religious theories put forth at the beginning of the series. Even Yorick makes a joke about how shitty the revelation is but that really doesn't excuse the shittiness. I really hope Lost is better thought out than this series was (I get the feeling Vaughn realized that the audience wouldn't be happy without an explanation and kind of threw one together). I am just preferring to think that we never heard the real reason.
Otherwise, the journey was a blast even if the destination left something to be desired. There were lots of great moments and subplots that came together in cool ways. I was most impressed with the depth of characterization. Any woman who complains that comics have no realistic depictions of women should be forced to read this. As the cast is 99% female, you can't help but see realism in their depictions from silly fools to brainy neurotics to tough-as-nails ass-kickers and every flavor of the rainbow besides. If you like sci-fi, gender politics or just epic adventure stories with robots, pirates, ninjas, amazons, soldiers and astronauts (plus monkeys, lots of monkeys) you should check this out.
Josh
I had no idea how this series would end up but, narratively, it is not completely satisfying. I don't mean the resolution to the love story so much as the the implicit promise that the deaths of all the men on Earth would be explained. The "final" explanation doesn't really seem any more plausible than the mystic or religious theories put forth at the beginning of the series. Even Yorick makes a joke about how shitty the revelation is but that really doesn't excuse the shittiness. I really hope Lost is better thought out than this series was (I get the feeling Vaughn realized that the audience wouldn't be happy without an explanation and kind of threw one together). I am just preferring to think that we never heard the real reason.
Otherwise, the journey was a blast even if the destination left something to be desired. There were lots of great moments and subplots that came together in cool ways. I was most impressed with the depth of characterization. Any woman who complains that comics have no realistic depictions of women should be forced to read this. As the cast is 99% female, you can't help but see realism in their depictions from silly fools to brainy neurotics to tough-as-nails ass-kickers and every flavor of the rainbow besides. If you like sci-fi, gender politics or just epic adventure stories with robots, pirates, ninjas, amazons, soldiers and astronauts (plus monkeys, lots of monkeys) you should check this out.
Josh
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Hangover
I should have gone out drinking last night to get into the spirit of the movie but, alas, I saw it very much sober and non-hungover. Regardless, I had a very good time. The premise is simple, a groom to be and his three friends head to Vegas for a bachelor party. The next morning, the friends wake up to find the groom gone, teeth missing, a tiger in the bathroom and a baby in their closet. What follows is essentially "Dude, where's my groom?" but much funnier as the guys retrace their steps.
Bradley Cooper (best known as the jerk from Wedding Crashers) plays the alpha male leader. He is married and has a kid but is still the coolest guy in the group. Ed Helms (from the Office and the Daily Show) is Stu, a dentist stuck with an emasculating girlfriend who cheats on him and belittles him at every turn. The real star of this show is Zach Galifiniakis, one of my favorite comedians (even if he did make fun of my mom at a show), who is the groom's soon-to-be brother-in-law. Zach adds a level of insanity and creepiness to the whole movie that is consistently hilarious. Supporting turns by Mike Epps (managing not to piss me off somehow), Mike Tyson, Heather Graham, Rachel Harris, Rob Riggle and Dr. Ken (the Asian doctor from Knocked Up) make the whole thing work. If this kind of thing bugs you I should tell you that we never quite get the entire story of what happens after their Jager shots on the roof of Caesar's Palace but the lost night is sort of secondary to the comedy.
The jokes in this movie can be very filthy (lots of male nudity and none of it welcome) and I can't recommend this for people who think Two and a Half Men is the apex of modern comedy. If you liked Road Trip and Old School, this one should work for you. If you think humping a tiger, getting beaten with a pipe by a naked asian man and getting tazed in the nads aren't inherently funny actions, this is not the film for you.
Josh
Josh
Bradley Cooper (best known as the jerk from Wedding Crashers) plays the alpha male leader. He is married and has a kid but is still the coolest guy in the group. Ed Helms (from the Office and the Daily Show) is Stu, a dentist stuck with an emasculating girlfriend who cheats on him and belittles him at every turn. The real star of this show is Zach Galifiniakis, one of my favorite comedians (even if he did make fun of my mom at a show), who is the groom's soon-to-be brother-in-law. Zach adds a level of insanity and creepiness to the whole movie that is consistently hilarious. Supporting turns by Mike Epps (managing not to piss me off somehow), Mike Tyson, Heather Graham, Rachel Harris, Rob Riggle and Dr. Ken (the Asian doctor from Knocked Up) make the whole thing work. If this kind of thing bugs you I should tell you that we never quite get the entire story of what happens after their Jager shots on the roof of Caesar's Palace but the lost night is sort of secondary to the comedy.
The jokes in this movie can be very filthy (lots of male nudity and none of it welcome) and I can't recommend this for people who think Two and a Half Men is the apex of modern comedy. If you liked Road Trip and Old School, this one should work for you. If you think humping a tiger, getting beaten with a pipe by a naked asian man and getting tazed in the nads aren't inherently funny actions, this is not the film for you.
Josh
Josh
Friday, June 5, 2009
Comics Cavalcade
Being on detail leaves me lots of free time to sit around my hotel room and read. I have been studiously avoiding my book club reading of On the Road in favor of the following trades...
1) Spider-Man's Tangled Web vol. 1- This collects the first six issues of a series that was a pretty cool idea. Instead of being about Spider-Man, per se, these stories all involve characters on his periphery. The first three issues involve an old bully of Peter Parker's who not only figures out that Parker is Spider-Man but also attempts to replicate the accident that gave him powers (with horrific results). This kind of reads like a normal Spidey story (but more disgusting) and didn't impress me much. The second story is about an underling of the Kingpin being called in by his boss after failing to account for Spider-Man's interference on caper. It is called "Severance Package" and works well as a one-shot crime story. The third story is "Flowers for Rhino" which follows the idea "what if the Rhino became super intelligent?" The story is funny and engaging at the same time. For fans of anthology style comics, it is worth a pick up used or from a library.
2) Astro City vol 1 Life In the Big City- Like the Tangled Web comic, this is an anthology title set in a city populated with superheroes created by Kurt Busiek. The best antecendent I can think of is the Spirit. Over the first six issues of the series we follow The Samaritan (a Superman analog) going about an average day in his life, a reporter retelling the story of how he witnessed a tale too incredible to tell, a thug witnessing the unmasking of a hero, a young woman commuting to work in a city filled with danger, an old man who spies on heroes and a date between Samaritan and a Wonder Woman analog. These stories don't really connect or create a larger narrative but they are all interesting and well-told. I like seeing fanstastic stories from the ground level point of view and these work great. I can't believe I waited this long to start it and I want to read more.
3) The Losers vol. 1 Ante Up- This series by Andy Diggle is about a group of rogue black ops agents who are out to screw over the CIA. The first collection is all about a couple of well-planned operations that end up going off the rails completely. If you like heist movies or seeing plans come together A-Team style, this is a fun book to read. Nothing earth shaking but solid action and adventure.
4) Ex Machina vol. 6 Power Down- For those who don't know, this is a series about a mayor of New York who has the power to talk to machines. He was a super-hero and saved one of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11, thus making him electable. This was the first trade of this series that felt like a bit of a rip-off. I am also getting a hang of Brian Vaughn's formula here, also. Pick a real life event or political controversy, tie a present threat into something mysterious from Mitchell Hundred's past, bake at 350 degrees and you have an Ex Machina storyline. Unlike Y: the Last Man (see below), I don't get the sense that this series is going anywhere fast. Also, this trade only has four issues in it and some behind the scenes crap I couldn't care less about. If you are already reading the series, by all means get this volume but if you haven't started, I wouldn't worry about it.
5) The Ultimate Galactus Trilogy- Having recently read the Ultimates Volume 2 and liking it almost as much as the Ultimates volume 1, I have decided to explore the Ultimate Marvel universe some more. Warren Ellis (one of my favorite comic writers) used three limited series and a one-shot (Ultimate Vision) to tell the classic story of Galactus' first attack on Earth. Starring the X-Men, Fantastic Four and the Ultimates; this series is all about wide screen action of a sort. The first series (Ultimate Nightmare) is well-paced and ends with a good fight scene in a Russian lab where the Vision is being kept. The second series (written by Millar of Ultimates fame) is more about the heroes facing off with an alien race called the Kree to get more info on Galactus. The Vision one shot gives more exposition. You see where this is going, right? The final third of the book (Ultimate Extinction) tries to cram waaaaaaay too much into too little space. We are told about a cult of suicidal types enthralled to a series of Silver Surfer style aliens but we never really see them. By the time an army of cloned Moondragons are attacking the Triskelion, I was almost interested. It is an awful lot of good build up for a rushed and (frankly) sloppy payoff. I would only recommend this if you are super into the Ultimate universe.
6) Y: The Last Man volume 8 Kimono Dragons- This series is great. I can't say enough good things about it. Vaughn captures characters and a narrative thrust that is undeniable. This is a series about a man and his pet monkey who wake up to discover that they are the last males alive on Earth. By this volume, our hero and his entourage of a secret agent, geneticist, Australian spy and two monkies make it to Japan where they must face a Yakuza run by a Britney Spears analog and their old ninja foe- Toyota. There are great plot twists and action scenes here plus a moment that made me laugh out loud ("Is she having one of my dreams?"). I cannot recommend this whole series enough, it is great.
I am currently reading Exit Wounds, Y: the Last Man volume 9, and The Losers volume 2. See you soon.
Josh
1) Spider-Man's Tangled Web vol. 1- This collects the first six issues of a series that was a pretty cool idea. Instead of being about Spider-Man, per se, these stories all involve characters on his periphery. The first three issues involve an old bully of Peter Parker's who not only figures out that Parker is Spider-Man but also attempts to replicate the accident that gave him powers (with horrific results). This kind of reads like a normal Spidey story (but more disgusting) and didn't impress me much. The second story is about an underling of the Kingpin being called in by his boss after failing to account for Spider-Man's interference on caper. It is called "Severance Package" and works well as a one-shot crime story. The third story is "Flowers for Rhino" which follows the idea "what if the Rhino became super intelligent?" The story is funny and engaging at the same time. For fans of anthology style comics, it is worth a pick up used or from a library.
2) Astro City vol 1 Life In the Big City- Like the Tangled Web comic, this is an anthology title set in a city populated with superheroes created by Kurt Busiek. The best antecendent I can think of is the Spirit. Over the first six issues of the series we follow The Samaritan (a Superman analog) going about an average day in his life, a reporter retelling the story of how he witnessed a tale too incredible to tell, a thug witnessing the unmasking of a hero, a young woman commuting to work in a city filled with danger, an old man who spies on heroes and a date between Samaritan and a Wonder Woman analog. These stories don't really connect or create a larger narrative but they are all interesting and well-told. I like seeing fanstastic stories from the ground level point of view and these work great. I can't believe I waited this long to start it and I want to read more.
3) The Losers vol. 1 Ante Up- This series by Andy Diggle is about a group of rogue black ops agents who are out to screw over the CIA. The first collection is all about a couple of well-planned operations that end up going off the rails completely. If you like heist movies or seeing plans come together A-Team style, this is a fun book to read. Nothing earth shaking but solid action and adventure.
4) Ex Machina vol. 6 Power Down- For those who don't know, this is a series about a mayor of New York who has the power to talk to machines. He was a super-hero and saved one of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11, thus making him electable. This was the first trade of this series that felt like a bit of a rip-off. I am also getting a hang of Brian Vaughn's formula here, also. Pick a real life event or political controversy, tie a present threat into something mysterious from Mitchell Hundred's past, bake at 350 degrees and you have an Ex Machina storyline. Unlike Y: the Last Man (see below), I don't get the sense that this series is going anywhere fast. Also, this trade only has four issues in it and some behind the scenes crap I couldn't care less about. If you are already reading the series, by all means get this volume but if you haven't started, I wouldn't worry about it.
5) The Ultimate Galactus Trilogy- Having recently read the Ultimates Volume 2 and liking it almost as much as the Ultimates volume 1, I have decided to explore the Ultimate Marvel universe some more. Warren Ellis (one of my favorite comic writers) used three limited series and a one-shot (Ultimate Vision) to tell the classic story of Galactus' first attack on Earth. Starring the X-Men, Fantastic Four and the Ultimates; this series is all about wide screen action of a sort. The first series (Ultimate Nightmare) is well-paced and ends with a good fight scene in a Russian lab where the Vision is being kept. The second series (written by Millar of Ultimates fame) is more about the heroes facing off with an alien race called the Kree to get more info on Galactus. The Vision one shot gives more exposition. You see where this is going, right? The final third of the book (Ultimate Extinction) tries to cram waaaaaaay too much into too little space. We are told about a cult of suicidal types enthralled to a series of Silver Surfer style aliens but we never really see them. By the time an army of cloned Moondragons are attacking the Triskelion, I was almost interested. It is an awful lot of good build up for a rushed and (frankly) sloppy payoff. I would only recommend this if you are super into the Ultimate universe.
6) Y: The Last Man volume 8 Kimono Dragons- This series is great. I can't say enough good things about it. Vaughn captures characters and a narrative thrust that is undeniable. This is a series about a man and his pet monkey who wake up to discover that they are the last males alive on Earth. By this volume, our hero and his entourage of a secret agent, geneticist, Australian spy and two monkies make it to Japan where they must face a Yakuza run by a Britney Spears analog and their old ninja foe- Toyota. There are great plot twists and action scenes here plus a moment that made me laugh out loud ("Is she having one of my dreams?"). I cannot recommend this whole series enough, it is great.
I am currently reading Exit Wounds, Y: the Last Man volume 9, and The Losers volume 2. See you soon.
Josh
Thursday, June 4, 2009
The Decemberists in Concert 06/04/09
I'll have lots more comic reviews coming up but for right now I thought I would delve into the world of live music with my viewing of the Decemberists in Raleigh, NC.
Firstly, the opening act was Blind Pilot out of Portland, OR. They were really good. The band consisted of a singer/acoustic guitarist, an upright bass player, a uke/banjo player, a xylophone player, a drummer and a trumpet/accordion player. The vocals reminded me of Fleet Foxes (especially the tone of the lead singer and the melodies). The music was very dynamic with some songs building and others crashing to a quiet halt and then rocking again. I was surprised by how well they came across and I bought their album after the show.
On to the Decemberists. I was hesitant about seeing this show at first because my exposure to these guys is limited. I have their two major label albums but none of their indie stuff. Luckily, they played the new album all the way through in order for the first half of their set. With two female guest vocalists in costume and a recording to simulate the children's choir, the entire album was presented pretty much exactly as it was recorded. The female vocalists pulled double duty with tamborines, wind chimes and keyboards to help flesh out the five piece band's sound. The crowd went nuts for The Wanting Comes In Waves (one of my favorites from the new album) because of the Grace Slick style vocal work of...I didn't get her name. She is from a band called The Brightest Diamond. I felt bad for the other lady who sang the Margaret parts, no one went nuts for her.
Another highlight of the first half was The Rake's Song. I wondered how they would capture the bombast of the most rocking song on their new album. If you ever saw Radiohead do "There, There" live, you have an idea. With seven people on stage, five of them were playing drums and all of them were pounding out the punctuating beat at the same time. It was pretty powerful and fun to watch. In all, I still don't care for certain songs from the album (even live there are draggy sections) but, as a whole, it was very satisfying.
After an all Supertramp interlude over the PA, they came back out to delve into older songs. I made a deal with myself, I would stay for five songs and if they played nothing I knew, I was leaving. From the Crane Wife I was hoping to hear Yankee Bayonet, The Perfect Crime, Summersong, Sons & Daughter and (especially) O Valencia. They started with Leslie Ann Levine from Castaways and Cutoffs but the melody sounded a lot like something off the last couple of albums. I couldn't put my finger on it but it was sort of samey sounding. Next came The Bachelor and the Bride from Her Majesty. Again, it didn't really hook me in and I was beginning to worry they would avoid the Crane Wife. Next they played We Both Go Down Together from Picaresque, which got the crowd jazzed but did nothing for me. After that they played a song called Sleepless from a charity compilation. No one seemed to dig it too much. I was preparing to leave when they brought back out the female vocalist who did the part of the Forest Queen and sang Yankee Bayonet (finally!). This was a great rendition of a great song and I really enjoyed the slightly elongated ending. Settled back in I was not prepared for a 15 minute version of The Chimbley Sweep from Her Majesty. I had only heard the title before but I had to admit, that was a good, catchy song. During the song Melloy and Funk engage in a guitar dual with the spotlight shining on one then the other. As the rivalry gets more heated, Melloy pulled a girl up from the crowd and let her play his part on the acoustic guitar while Funk pulled a boy up on stage and got him to play the electric part. Both kids were pretty darn good. Eventually, the boy goes back into the crowd and it is Funk versus the girl. He eventually surrenders to her superior fire power and the contest ends with everyone happy. During all this, Melloy pulled another girl up to dance a jig with her. I thought these were really nice, touching moments between a band and their fans. Considering how static and rigid the first half was, this really humanized the band.
With the crowd still buzzing from that epic song, they launched into a great version of O Valencia! I was so pleased with the song I decided to leave because, honestly, it wasn't going to get better than that three song stint for me. As I stepped into the rainy, muggy night I was very pleased with how the evening turned out. I feel I got my money worth and the Decemberists put on a good show. I am interested to see how they incorporate songs from the new album into their live sets in the future without playing the whole thing as one piece. I may return to them some day.
Josh
Firstly, the opening act was Blind Pilot out of Portland, OR. They were really good. The band consisted of a singer/acoustic guitarist, an upright bass player, a uke/banjo player, a xylophone player, a drummer and a trumpet/accordion player. The vocals reminded me of Fleet Foxes (especially the tone of the lead singer and the melodies). The music was very dynamic with some songs building and others crashing to a quiet halt and then rocking again. I was surprised by how well they came across and I bought their album after the show.
On to the Decemberists. I was hesitant about seeing this show at first because my exposure to these guys is limited. I have their two major label albums but none of their indie stuff. Luckily, they played the new album all the way through in order for the first half of their set. With two female guest vocalists in costume and a recording to simulate the children's choir, the entire album was presented pretty much exactly as it was recorded. The female vocalists pulled double duty with tamborines, wind chimes and keyboards to help flesh out the five piece band's sound. The crowd went nuts for The Wanting Comes In Waves (one of my favorites from the new album) because of the Grace Slick style vocal work of...I didn't get her name. She is from a band called The Brightest Diamond. I felt bad for the other lady who sang the Margaret parts, no one went nuts for her.
Another highlight of the first half was The Rake's Song. I wondered how they would capture the bombast of the most rocking song on their new album. If you ever saw Radiohead do "There, There" live, you have an idea. With seven people on stage, five of them were playing drums and all of them were pounding out the punctuating beat at the same time. It was pretty powerful and fun to watch. In all, I still don't care for certain songs from the album (even live there are draggy sections) but, as a whole, it was very satisfying.
After an all Supertramp interlude over the PA, they came back out to delve into older songs. I made a deal with myself, I would stay for five songs and if they played nothing I knew, I was leaving. From the Crane Wife I was hoping to hear Yankee Bayonet, The Perfect Crime, Summersong, Sons & Daughter and (especially) O Valencia. They started with Leslie Ann Levine from Castaways and Cutoffs but the melody sounded a lot like something off the last couple of albums. I couldn't put my finger on it but it was sort of samey sounding. Next came The Bachelor and the Bride from Her Majesty. Again, it didn't really hook me in and I was beginning to worry they would avoid the Crane Wife. Next they played We Both Go Down Together from Picaresque, which got the crowd jazzed but did nothing for me. After that they played a song called Sleepless from a charity compilation. No one seemed to dig it too much. I was preparing to leave when they brought back out the female vocalist who did the part of the Forest Queen and sang Yankee Bayonet (finally!). This was a great rendition of a great song and I really enjoyed the slightly elongated ending. Settled back in I was not prepared for a 15 minute version of The Chimbley Sweep from Her Majesty. I had only heard the title before but I had to admit, that was a good, catchy song. During the song Melloy and Funk engage in a guitar dual with the spotlight shining on one then the other. As the rivalry gets more heated, Melloy pulled a girl up from the crowd and let her play his part on the acoustic guitar while Funk pulled a boy up on stage and got him to play the electric part. Both kids were pretty darn good. Eventually, the boy goes back into the crowd and it is Funk versus the girl. He eventually surrenders to her superior fire power and the contest ends with everyone happy. During all this, Melloy pulled another girl up to dance a jig with her. I thought these were really nice, touching moments between a band and their fans. Considering how static and rigid the first half was, this really humanized the band.
With the crowd still buzzing from that epic song, they launched into a great version of O Valencia! I was so pleased with the song I decided to leave because, honestly, it wasn't going to get better than that three song stint for me. As I stepped into the rainy, muggy night I was very pleased with how the evening turned out. I feel I got my money worth and the Decemberists put on a good show. I am interested to see how they incorporate songs from the new album into their live sets in the future without playing the whole thing as one piece. I may return to them some day.
Josh
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