This Boy’s Life Among The Electrical Lights

The New Pornographers @ Webster Hall 10/13/2005
Twin Cinema / Use It / Three or Four / Mass Romantic / Jackie Dressed In Cobras / These Are The Fables / The Bleeding Heart Show / Testament To Youth In Verse / The Laws Have Changed / The Fake Headlines / It’s Only Divine Right / Stacked Crooked / All For Swinging You Around / The Body Says No / Sing Me Spanish Techno // Streets Of Fire / Slow Descent Into Alcoholism / Electric Version /// Execution Day / Letter From An Occupant

The New Pornographers “These Are The Fables” – When am I ever going to learn to be a normal person and not keep tabs on band’s setlists before I see them live, thus leading to an inevitable reaction of “that was good, but we kinda got shafted in terms of song selection compared to ______”?

Though this was certainly not the most fun I’ve ever had at a New Pornographers show, it was undoubtedly the finest performance by the band that I have witnessed, mostly thanks to an inflated line-up featuring every member of the band aside from the elusive Nora O’Connor. The band took full advantage of the situation, giving extra strength to the harmonies on “Three Or Four” (they totally nailed that middle eight) and the rounds at the end of “Testament To Youth In Verse,” and giving “The Laws Have Changed” the sort of punch that it can sometimes lack in a live setting.

Predictably, “Sing Me Spanish Techno” was a highlight of the set, and though it satisfied my desire to hear the song with more prominent backing vocals from Neko Case, it ended up reinforcing my recent realization that the song makes more thematic sense when sung by a single voice, and of the vocalists in the band, good-natured, affable Carl Newman is the best choice. Neko would give the song too much confidence; Kathryn would make it seem too fragile; and Dan Bejar’s voice can’t help but seem cynical and sarcastic, which is all wrong for a song that switches from the character earnestly declaring “I won’t let this happen to you” to castigating himself for refusing his call and being punished by the passing of time.

Of the five songs peformed last night that I’ve never seen played live (sob, no “Jessica Numbers” or “Bones Of An Idol” for me!), “These Are The Fables” shined the brightest, fully realizing its Andrew Lloyd Webber-ness with a modified arrangement that gave plenty of space for Neko’s gorgeous voice, but added extra emphasis to the bombastic bits. The first time the rest of the band joined in and sang the words “my street!” in unison, I had to laugh to myself, because they were seriously *this close* to throwing out some jazz hands. Needless to say, t was a great moment. (Click here to buy it from Insound.)

Destroyer @ Webster Hall 10/13/2005
Queen of Languages / I Want This Cyclops / No Cease Fires / To The Heart Of The Sun On The Back Of The Vulture, I’ll Go / Streethawk I / Beggars Might Ride / The Sublimation Hour / Farrar, Straus & Giroux / The Very Modern Dance

Destroyer “To The Heart Of The Sun On The Back Of A Vulture, I’ll Go” – I hadn’t listened to any of Destroyer’s records in the past year or two, mainly due to my extremely poor reaction to the Your Blues album, but after seeing Bejar perform his songs last night, I think I’ve made a huge mistake. Though their set was not devoid of lagging, the quality was generally high, and I was moved to scribble down key lyrics from some songs in the hope of finding them later. For this song, I jotted down the words “throw yourself away, don’t save yourself.” (Click here to buy it from Insound.)

Immaculate Machine “Broken Ship” – Immaculate Machine (Kathryn Calder’s regular band) were very enjoyable, but it seems clear to me that they are still very young and maybe a few years away from finding their voice. At their best, they seem like a hyperactive version of Suddenly, Tammy! (maybe it’s just her voice and cadence) backed by a drummer who would be a far better candidate for the lead role in an Iggy Pop than Elijah Wood. (Seriously, who makes a casting decision like that?) Incidentally, Calder made a rather dramatic costume change between sets, starting off in very casual indie-girl attire, but returning with the New Pornographers in a flowing baby blue gown that made her look like some kind of mystical space princess. It’s a good look for her! (Click here to buy it from Maple Music.)