“Oh man, I’m not sure I’m ready” my neighbor remarked as Justin Vernon announced the next song about half way through Bon Iver’s opening set at the Middle East on Sunday. “I know,” his friend replied, “I’m not quite finished with that one”. It was a fitting acknowledgement after an arrestingly beautiful version of “The Wolves,” and one that would become a theme for the night. Later, as Bon Iver approached the close of their set, drummer Sean Carey asked us if we were ready for Black Mountain. As the adoring crowd loudly hollered in affirmation, Justin Vernon candidly noted; “I’m not sure I ever am.”
It took a while for Bon Iver’s debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, to really work its way under my skin. Even by the time I showed up at the Middle East on Sunday, its subtle textures and delicate grace had yet to make its full impression on me. I’m generally a little reluctant to devote too much time to singer-songwriter albums. For every Rejoicing in the Hands or Roman Candle it seems like there are a thousand records released in the genre that are pleasant but otherwise unremarkable, stemming mostly from the fact that there’s only so much you can do with your voice and an acoustic guitar.
But when a Devendra Banhart or Elliott Smith does come along, there’s something undeniably affecting about their medium. Whereas for most it feels limiting, in the hands of a rare few the minimalism reveals a depth of craft that might not otherwise be so apparent. With just your voice and a guitar, there’s no hiding a weak verse or awkward lyric. As Justin Vernon strained under the pressure of his near-constant falsetto and strummed his sparse, simple chord progressions, his months of solitude in the woods of Wisconsin and the frustrations that led him there were laid bare, revealing a richness of emotion and sense of understanding that only great artists achieve. Bon Iver were never constrained by their vehicle of expression, but instead embodied its ability to connect with naked precision. Having arrived expecting little from a man and his acoustic guitar, I left remembering just how powerful those two elements can be and why it’s not likely that they’ll cease to produce great art anytime soon.
And of course, by that time, the show was only half over. It was time to change gears to the sonic assault that is Black Mountain. And Vernon was right, no one is ever really ready for a Black Mountain show. After having lured us in like the Sirens with the hypnotic “Night Walks,” Stephen McBean and Co. quickly switched gears with the plodding “Stormy High,” the first single from the recently released In the Future. I had been a bit worried about Black Mountain’s live show after having seen the band perform “Stormy High” on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, with Amber Webber singing completely out of tune during the intro. But Sunday’s performance was right on and as my head began to nod uncontrollably, I knew we were in for a good show.
“We can’t stand all your modern music,” Stephen McBean sang on the lead track from Black Mountain’s 2005 debut, a less than subtle swipe at the contemporary hit machine. With little regard for trends or fads, McBean’s Black Mountain is a hulking behemoth, rife with brooding riffs and lumbering rhythms, certainly one of the heaviest bands you’re likely to see on the indie circuit. Yet as with any faithful disciples of Zeppelin and Sabbath, their onslaught was well complemented by moments of calm and memorable melodies. Equally comfortable with the haunting, organ-laced dirge of “Queens Will Play” and the epic sprawl of “Tyrants,” Black Mountain epitomized the true ideal of the modern band, nimbly moving between styles. I don’t think that their resistance to all things contemporary has much to do with any particular genre of music. Instead, it strikes me as more of a commentary on the manufactured quality of nearly everything that receives mainstream attention lately. As both Bon Iver and Black Mountain showed on Sunday, you don’t have to reinvent a genre to make it interesting. You just have to make it your own and the fans and accolades will surely follow.
SET LIST
Night Walks
Stormy High
Angels
Queens Will Play
Wucan
Tyrants
Thirteen walls
Evil Ways
No Satisfaction
Don’t Run Our Hearts Around
ENCORE
Druganaut
Ugh. Paste’s profile of Free Energy made me kind of hate them. So does your review. It’s this unctuous defense of good-time rock-and-roll ("we’re just here to party, and we’re awesome!") that seems more self-serving than fun-loving.
by beth on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.41 pm from the entry: Foreign Born + Free Energy - The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY; Mar. 12, 2010)
that inescapable feeling you are referring to, is that like when you hear something and you could have sworn you heard it before because of the nostalgic catchy quality? or is is like when you’ve heard a band exactly like said band?
great post by the way!
by paul on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 03.15 pm from the entry: The Novel Ideas - "The Sky Is A Field" - Borrow It
Whoa! I had no idea she was enegaged. You would never know with the way she behaves! Wow!
by art on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.48 am from the entry: Nikki Darlin and John McCauley: 1+1=1
This comment stream is so meta. Great review Kelly.
by chris on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 07.50 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
no prob. The whole album is excellent, combining some of the harder sonics of Los Angeles with the meat of his debut and obviously difficult to summarize in only 50 words… 
I’d say it’s on par with the debut, but better than Los Angeles.
by kelly on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.23 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
By the way, I really liked the mp3 posted. Thanks.
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “Picture yourself coasting your bike past space funk palm trees, homeless harpists, vintage video arcades, electronic drum circles, and 60s psychedelic singers who’re waiting for the bus. Cosmogramma is kinda like that if someone suddenly tripped you just as you’re starting to enjoy the ride. But in a good way.””
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
