Bowerbirds’ two Philadelphia shows on Sunday were held at the side chapel of the First Unitarian Church, which is perhaps the oddest venue I’ve ever been to, even stranger than its more famous basement. It’s definitely among the smallest I’ve encountered, with room for maybe 50 people at most. It was also--like the basement on most summer nights--quite warm and stuffy, which was a surprise for an evening in late-March.
“All Mine” played over the speakers as opening three-piece BELL finished up their sound-check before the second show, and with some of their practice beats echoing the menace of songs like “Machine Gun,” I briefly considered the possibility that they were a Portishead tribute band. As it turned out, I wasn’t too far off: BELL’s 30-minute set was a challenging mix of bleeping electronic percussion and Bjork-style vocalizing from lead singer Olga Bell that echoed the harshness of Third. However, while the set was interesting and sometimes engaging (especially “The Minor”), in the end it left me cold. Part of it may have had to do with factors outside their control; the side chapel didn’t offer the best acoustics for their beat-heavy sound, and everything sounded like it had been turned up way too high. So BELL may be a band to watch, but it was hard to make a fair assessment of their sound that night.
Bowerbirds’ Cajun-flavored freak-folk fit the venue much more successfully (even if Phil Moore’s guitar sounded over-amplified early in their set). Indeed, if the title “band that you would want playing a concert in your living room on a summer evening” existed, it would be hard to think of a group better suited to that role. Moore, accordionist Beth Tacular, and drummer Matt Damron played a set heavy with cuts from their second album, the forthcoming Dead Oceans (dropping later this summer), and the off-beat folksiness that shone through many of these songs point to an album that improves on their impressive 2007 debut Hymn for a Dark Horse. The selections they did play from the debut were no less remarkable, in particular “In Our Talons,” featuring an endearingly weird bird-chirping chorus by Moore and Tacular that channeled the unique Americana of Sufjan Stevens, and “Dark Horse,” a melancholy tune with enigmatic lyrics about nature, loneliness, and cockroaches in upstate New York.
Bowerbirds deserve to break through, and their sophomore effort offers them an opportunity to do exactly that. With luck, they’ll return to Philly later this year, and while they fit the vibe of the side chapel perfectly, I’ll cross my fingers and hope that they move to more expansive--and less stuffy--venues very soon.
DOWNLOAD: Bowerbirds - Dark Horse (Live in the MOKB studio) (MP3) or Follow us for more Bowerbirds MP3s (Twitter)
need to listen to this. but i’ve always liked the original version of “renegade” (with royce) better than the one on blueprint.
by josh on Tue Dec 8, 2009 at 11.30 am from the entry: Dope "freestyle" over "Renegade" beat
You nailed it. I have never seen so many scalpers with lottery tickets before. They make the new process too easy to request too many. The money order was much better. Cash up front would ease things a lot. Or better yet, processing the charge at the time of request. Then refunding the unfortunate. Just glad to see them live, regardless of the hoops.
by RobD on Tue Dec 8, 2009 at 10.58 am from the entry: Moments in a Box
Warning: early Girl Talk barely resembles the Girl Talk you know and love.
by chris on Tue Dec 8, 2009 at 12.45 am from the entry: Set Your Own Price For Old Girl Talk albums
fantastic article!! spot on in many ways. what journey it has been...see ya in Miami!!
by mikesbass on Mon Dec 7, 2009 at 10.30 pm from the entry: Moments in a Box
Sounding dirty :D Defo have to mix this 1 next set
by Dcee on Mon Dec 7, 2009 at 03.31 pm from the entry: Ginuwine's "Pony" Deconstructed Through Dubstep (Remix)
Thanks Jerry! Glad you made it over here and are enjoying the site. Had you seen Friendly Fires before or were that first time like some of the rest of us?
by Colin on Mon Dec 7, 2009 at 05.34 am from the entry: Friendly Fires + The xx + Holly Miranda - Doug Fir (Portland, OR; Nov. 25, 2009)
Fantastic review and show Colin. Agree with the other posters that the bands all complemented one another. I was originally going to the show for the Friendly Fires, but picked up on The xx a couple weeks prior to the concert and was definitely looking forward to them. They did not let me down. BTW, thanks for the note with the link to the site. Enjoying all the concert reviews.
by Jerry on Sun Dec 6, 2009 at 11.12 pm from the entry: Friendly Fires + The xx + Holly Miranda - Doug Fir (Portland, OR; Nov. 25, 2009)
