The Dodos
9 out of 10 - Simply Amazing. Can't wait to see 'em again.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Union Pool - Brooklyn, New York
|
|
One must wonder if a band senses their buzz mounting. Do they hear a hum echoing in their ears just before each performance? Do they notice that their shows are slowly filling with more and more hipsters and do they contemplate how so many damn people have photo passes these days? And one wonders, does this buzz affect a show?
Union Pool, this past Saturday evening hosted – as they tend to do – a band that is in that mode just before venues and ticket prices grow. Fans were multiplying quickly.
Warmed only slightly by alcohol and a fire pit a few feet away, new and old fans made their way through the cold of a slow moving queue, before show openers Phil and the Osophers began an evening filled with fine modern music. They were attempting to piggyback on the headliners success with a quirky Clap Your Hands Say Yea vibe.
But it was the following band that really capitalized. Brooklyn’s Phosphorescent certainly took home more fans than they had when they hopped on stage. In the studio, Phosphorescent is the bearded one-man band of Matthew Houck. Live, the band – sporting two new members – became a powerful quintet that pushed Houck’s country-tinged rock songs into your soul. Though there were technical difficulties that they faced, they became easy to ignore, as the gifted songwriting and the all-out passion poured toward the audience.
Many thought: “This is a difficult act to follow”.
When the headliners, San Francisco’s revered Dodos, finally took the stage it was with a mad aggression. The pounding drums of “The Ball” from 2006’s Beware of the Maniacs immediately changed the tone of the night. The guitar joined the drums and the show was undoubtedly in full swing. Once singer/songwriter Meric Long’s gorgeous vocals dropped into the song, it was understood that this would be a night to remember.
It is rare that a band with only two members – one strumming an acoustic guitar and the other on a tiny drum kit – can rock like this.
The audience shifted and swayed, as the duo moved into “Fools” from the upcoming hyped Visiter - an album that is destined to be on every bloggers “fave” list. Those that do enjoy the bands sound realize that the primal percussion of Logan Kroeber is as crucial to the band as any other aspect. With a tambourine taped snug to his foot, he seemed to be aware of that fact. He bashed the drums with an intensity not un-like folks with much larger kits.
As the band played on, it grew warmer in the room – hot even. The audience stood in a semi circle, like around a campfire. As if the Dodos were the pit of the fire. Everyone stared on as if entranced. They tore through their set, winning over New York Cities coolest kids and quite possible taking their success to the next level. It became obvious that the buzz can affect the performance of a young act. For the Dodos they understood that they better bring down the house. And that they did.
Set List:
“The Ball”
“Fools”
“Men”
“It’s That Time Again”
“Paint The Rust”
“Jodi”
“Joe’s Waltz”
“God?”
|