The Brattle Theatre often hosts sold-out shows, everything from Noam Chomsky to Buffy the Vampire sing-a-longs. Tonight the stage was set aside for the atmospheric, slightly slowcore, Great Lake Swimmers. The cool Cambridge air welcomed their woodsy spirit of Northern climes flannel and layered harmonies.
Along for the 6,500 mile tour (it was the answer to a pop quiz won by a man in the front row), the Great Lake Swimmers brought Sudbury, Ontario’s own Kate Maki. Her sparse, country-tinged songs softly welcomed the attentive audience into a night of fine Canadian singer songwriters. At points she borrowed drummer Greg Millson for slight percussion help, or as Maki said, “just to have someone up on stage.” While her initial shy demeanor might indicate otherwise, she offered a warm presence, comfortable with conversing with the audience. Good stuff all around.
The packed audience, perhaps lulled through a combination of comfortable seating and faulty air conditioning, sat contented and happy Great Lake Swimmers. Only a few shouted requests broke seamless transitions between each song. This was a reverential crowd, one that came to soak in the music, to partake in an event, as opposed to bystanding at a concert.
Singer and guitarist Tony Dekker offered a set list that blended music from the band’s older three albums, and then gradually introduced songs from Lost Channels, released last month. The contrast was stark. When touring in support of a new album, bands face the difficulty of capturing the studio sound live, an audience generally unfamiliar with the material, and their own hesitation with the music. Here, the problem seemed to be with slipping syllables.
In the new song “Concrete Heart,” the image of Toronto architecture serves for a broken relationship, and Dekker ends subsequent lines with “...subway system/...library system/...feel like a harbor/...feel like a fortress.” These double sounding words feel unfinished, suspended without resolution, and the pacing of the lines felt awkward. As a counterpoint, listen to ”Changing Colours,” a song from 2007’s Ongiara that fit nicely into the second half of the evening’s set. The chorus begins “And when the wind takes you, it takes me, too.” That pause before “too,” lets the note catch up to the lyric, creating a haunting feeling that matches the song’s topic of dying.
It might be my love for the older material that drives this analysis, but I missed something when listening to the songs off Lost Channels. Many of the songs, like “She Comes to Me in Dreams,” offer a stronger tone that loses Dekker’s voice in the process. Through the middle of the show, I felt the new album moves Great Lake Swimmers away from lush Red House Painters textures, into rocky-folk Rogue Wave territory. This is not a bad thing, but the band feels like it’s treading water when the vocals are overshadowed.
With genuine thanks, Dekker and band seemed grateful to be at the Brattle Theatre, and glad to be sharing their music. The humility of the band, modestly nodding to the audience, barely lifting their eyes, makes their music even more lovable. Still, I reminisce for more songs (like their latest single “Pulling on a Wire") that deliver solid songwriting with hushed instrumentation. There are many bands that carve the path from folk into rock, and I hope the Swimmers will weather the course.
DOWNLOAD: Great Lake Swimmers - There is a Light (live) (MP3) or Follow us for more Great Lake Swimmers MP3s (Twitter)
he is amazing bro his style can not be touched....some people dont know what he is talking about caz u dont do what he does he is sickkk bra
by dylyn on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 11.59 am from the entry: Wiz Khalifa: Burn After Rolling (Mixtape)
Wow,Great post.Thanks for sharing with us. land wi
by wisconsin land on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 09.53 am from the entry: of Montreal + Gang Gang Dance - Orpheum Theatre (Boston, MA; Oct. 30, 2008)
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
I think the new album is a grower - just takes a couple of listens. And the songwriting is a bit more temporal/raw than their former transcendent/atmospheric style.
Dekker said in an interview that the album is a mix of urban and outdoors. I guess my tastes lean towards the Great Lakes more than Concrete Hearts
i would love to hace some photos - maybe ian can email me and we can talk?
thank you!
kate