To use a term coined by Sasha Frere-Jones, I hesitate to make the following claim, for fear of being The Boy Who Cried Show, but here I go. The current tour with Menomena, Suckers and Tu Fawning might be the best tour of 2010.* All three acts, on their own, were worth seeing live, and together, you would be hard pressed to find a better source for three hours of quality live music.
Somewhat surprisingly, Menomena was the least impressive of the acts. By that, I don’t mean they are the lesser of the three--that ranking exercise is certainly a futile one--but live, you learn little new about the band. If you like their recordings, you will like their live performance. Live, Menomena recreate their songs note-for-note. I welcome corrections here, but I observed not one variation in melody, not one breakdown jam. Though I’m not criticizing this approach, I will say it’s surprising. Music that thrives on dark themes, heavy percussion, and quirky keys and horns, seems apt for improvised, deconstructive live digressions.**
But perhaps live replication is key to this trend of difficult, yet accessible experimental rock. Though the compositions feel like experiments, they are not ephemeral ones. On the contrary, they are thoughtfully arranged, worthy of repetition.
What you do learn at a Menomena show is that these are skilled players who come together for a tight, flawless performance. Well, Justin Harris did forget some lyrics to “Queen Black Acid,” but covering it up by singing, “I forget the lyrics to this song” was the most endearing moment of the night. Seeing the three players (Joe Haege of Tu Fawning is currently a fourth member) trade lead vocals, you also appreciate that despite collaborative songwriting, individually, they each offer distinct styles. But above all, the lasting impression of a Menomena show is Danny Seim’s incredible drumming, its prominence on stage and in the music. Seim is an absolute beast, destroying that kit with perfect rhythm and somehow simultaneously singing. He is truly a sight to behold (and to admire).
At the end of the evening, Harris apologized for the lag between Boston shows (the last show was so long ago, it was, in fact, melophobe’s first concert review!) and promised to return sooner than three years. I certainly hope that’s true.
While Menomena’s set served as a reminder of their admirable recorded works, the two openers’ sets served as remarkably impressive introductions to lesser known bands. Tu Fawning played the unforgiving, early opening set to a handful of people that became increasingly large, attentive and enthusiastic as the set progressed. Song after song, they drew the crowd in with their sultry compositions, lushly arranged and with no detail missing. Corinna Repp’s vocals were at once sexy, foreboding and demanding of attention; when Repp repeatedly chanted, “Don’t let a man be your sad story,” we took it to heart. Though it was hard to take our eyes off the gorgeous Repp, the three other musicians were likewise captivating, never resting and never without an arsenal of instruments within arm’s length. Tambourines, trumpets, finger cymbals, floor toms: all were employed to add delicate detail to the already powerful drums, keys and guitar. With all four musicians harmonizing vocals and three of the four sitting behind the drum kit at some point during the set, their musicianship and thoughtful performance was truly impressive.
Indeed, between almost every song, photographer Liz and I gave each other that knowing “Can you believe how good this sounds?” look, with many around us giving the same look to their friends. Corrina Repp told the crowd that they only had six cds left for another two weeks of touring (“A good problem to have”), and that was no surprise. [Their first full-length Hearts on Hold will be released tomorrow, October 5th.] When we caught them last April, we knew they were a band to watch, and now we can safely declare that they are a band to be obsessed with.
What can I say about Suckers that hasn’t already been said? They’re wild, unpredictable, hard to define, and more than anything, a freakin’ blast to watch perform. Pan, whose birthday the audience celebrated in song, was awesomely untamed, covered in face paint and miming the lyrics to all his vocals. Though their music can be heavy, droning, and off-putting in its unpredictable, quirky percussive punctuation, Suckers temper their songs with enough pop to make it catchy as hell. The guy next to me sang, “It Gets Your Body Movin’” with all his heart, and despite being my first introduction to the song, I was singing and dancing right along with him.
* Not including Sufjan Stevens’ upcoming tour with D.M. Stith, because, you know, obviously.
** Or perhaps Radiohead’s “The National Anthem” has indoctrinated the belief that including a saxophone in difficult music demands a climactic, frenzied breakdown.
Menomena Setlist:
01. Tithe
02. TAOS
03. Weird
04. Killemall
05. Muscle‘n Flo
06. Five Little Rooms
07. BOTE
08. Queen Black Acid
09. Wet and Rusting
10. Dirty Cartoons
11. The Pelican
12. Sleeping Beauty
13. Evil Bee
14. Strongest Man in the World (encore)
