October 3, 2005
The Decemberists at the 9:30 Club
By DCist Music contributor Colin Peppard.
Even without Rachel Blumberg to bang the drums and hit those high notes, The Decemberists managed to lead a packed house through 90 minutes of revelry, revenge, despair and decadence last night at the 9:30 Club. DCist was there to witness all of their theatrics and haughty wordplay, and we certainly went home satisfied (maybe we're just partial to names that end in -ist, though).
Up-and-comers Sons and Daughters opened the show, cranking out some uber-Scottish post-punk foot-stompers. Located somewhere in a strange love triangle consisting of Bloc Party, Nick Cave and Johnny Cash, the quartet unfortunately lost much of the momentum it showcased on The Repulsion Box, their 2005 LP. Long delays between short songs left our fidgety DC brethren anxious and a bit confused. However, by the end of the set, the band had found their feet, blasting us with a solid rendition of "Checked," where guitarist Scott Paterson got to showcase his innovative use of the slide.
A short break was abruptly disturbed when The Decemberists announced their arrival with the sounding of cymbals and gongs and howls from offstage. Unlike the cover art and liner notes gracing several of The Decemberists' albums, the theatrics had a clear tongue-in-cheek element that was absent the pretense we expected. The band assembled, high-fiving with their tambourines and dressed in everything from a striped suit to what appeared to be pajamas, complete with interesting period hats.
Frontman Colin Meloy launched the set with songs from The Tain, an 18 minute EP based loosely on an epic 8th century Celtic poem. Seriously riff-heavy, the songs translated well from the album to a live performance, though some of the ominous, mythical feeling was lost sans knob twiddling. Instrumentation is clearly a strong suit with The Decemberists, though. Meloy led the band without being assumptive, and they in turn followed his cues beautifully, both in transition from song to song and between the movements of the more epic numbers. A rousing 10+ minute version of "The Mariner's Revenge Song", complete with accordion, melodica, dulcimer, and a giant man-eating whale (seriously) was solid proof of this.
Above all, Meloy's ability to translate modern and personal themes through old-world imagery and a somewhat archaic lexicon was front and center in songs like "16 Military Wives" and "The Bagman's Gambit." Both songs had the crowd up and rocking without losing Meloy's stark meaning. The rest of the band was equally impressive, though it took newcomer Petra Haden (yup, Charlie's daughter) a song or two to find her sea legs. Her harmonies were definitely less effective than Rachel Blumberg's, working to the high range of Meloy's plaintive tenor rather than soaring above it. However, her deft violin work more than made up for it. In fact, the interplay between her fiddle, bassist Nate Query's bowed upright, and Chris Funk's pedal steel was quite possibly the highlight of the night.
Though many in the crowd may have been there for the theatrics and epics, they were not disappointed by Meloy's more contemporary songs. The beautifully written "On the Bus Mall" and desperately lonely "I Was Meant for the Stage" fixated what was by all accounts an ADD crowd. As a whole, the night convinced DCist that Meloy and The Decemberists have more depth than their albums let on with a casual listen. We look forward to future visits to the DC area, as long as they bring the man-eating whale!
|
the decemberists put on a terrific show. except for a couple of less than thrilling ballads, they really moved a crowd well. and No Smoking!, that was the best.
i thought sons and daughters were excellent too. despite the lead singers dancing prowess.
The really odd thing about the S&D lead singer's dancing was that she would get started with the writhing at least 10 or 20 seconds before the music kicked in. It was like her odd body motions were acting as the band's metronome, or something.
The Decemberists were indeed amazing, and I think it's their sense of fun on the stage that makes their concerts so enjoyable. The impromptu version of the Charlie Brown theme while Colin tuned, the banter with the front row fans, the acknowledgement of relatives in the crowd, even the fact that they incorporate at least one cover into every set (currently it's ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky") . . . all of it makes their shows much more than just "the songs performed loudly on stage." I've seen them four times now, dating back to when they were squeezed into the Black Cat back room, and they never disappoint.
Also, the link you have on Charlie Haden goes to a completely content-free AOL site with his name misspelled. Not exactly enlightening for the vast majority of your audience who likely have never heard of him. Maybe you meant to link to something more like this.
Thanks, the bad link's been fixed!
I was a bit confused as to why the S&D chick got so upset about the keyboard falling over when she didnt really bother to play it anyway (same with the guitar). Though the instruments did temporarily tame the dancing, i wouldnt mind seeing her actually play them a bit more. That being said, it was quite a set.
And the Decemberists really blew me away this time. Their last show at 9:30 seemed to lack the energy and coherence of this show. Petra Haden went from looking scared and bored last time, to positively playful this time. And i have to disagree about her voice. I think she complements Meloy well - the harmonies are one of the best parts of Meloy's songwriting (especially on songs like "Engine Driver") and they work really well with voices as equally matched as those two.
Great review though Colin!
Excellent show. Much better than in Baltimore the night before, and also the last time I saw The Decemberists at the 9:30 Club. Did anybody see the Chris Funk signs down in front? I want to know what they said.
That cover of "Mr Blue Sky" was fantastic.
What was the song that Petra was playing when Colin was asking the crowd to play "Name that Tune"?
was it "the big bad wolf"?
Actually, it was a section from Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, which was also the Decemberists' somewhat odd selection for between-bands music.
Dear Colin, this is a live music review, not an academic research paper. If you must include references to "archaic lexicon," you'd be better off, at the VERY least, just sticking to album reviews. You gave the reader no insight to the actual feel of the live concert. There were a lot of words, very little meaning.....
Colin Peppard correctly reports that lead singer Colin Meloy utilizes "old-world imagery" and an "archaic lexicon" in his songwriting and composing. I'm afraid that this does, in fact, give tremendous insight into what a Decemberists show "feels" like. Sorry for the scary three-syllable words.
I'm certainly not afraid of three syllable words...rather i'm tired of reading sterile reviews...Do you really think that while Colin peppard was watching the decemberist show he was thinking to himself "wow, thats some fascinating archaic lexicon..." Probably not, so lets hear a little more about what he was THINKING and FEELING during the show...not a dry, albeit intellectually advanced and grammatically correct, review. > You bloggers (ahem dceiver) seem to have forgotten what its like to be a reader....
I'm certainly not afraid of three syllable words...rather i'm tired of reading sterile reviews...Do you really think that while Colin peppard was watching the decemberist show he was thinking to himself "wow, thats some fascinating archaic lexicon..."?? Probably not, so lets hear a little more about what he was THINKING and FEELING during the show...not a dry, albeit intellectually advanced and grammatically correct, review. > You bloggers (ahem dceiver) seem to have forgotten what its like to be a reader....
there should be a "yawn" in there where the > symbol is....
Look. Part of the Decemberists whole schtick is this songwriting approach of Meloy's, which comes across as Victorian-era storytelling and instrumentation that blends pop with things like sea chanties. The reviewer isn't trotting out an archaic lexicon of their own--they are pointing out Meloy's archaic lexicon. This is just fact-based reporting.
As for sterile: I see described above a pretty riotous scene--animal howls, a circus atmosphere, whimsical stage props deployed--along with a lot of warm-blooded descriptions of the music.
I don't find that sterile, but I'd be interested in reading what your approach--this running, real-time commentary on what you are "thinking and feeling." Send me such a review the next time you go see a show, and I'll be happy to give it the benefit of the doubt.
got me there.