This Circuitry Is New To Me

Goldfrapp @ Irving Plaza 5/15/2006
Utopia / Lovely Head / Tip Toe / Train / Koko / Slide In / U Never Know / Deer Stop / Fly Me Away / Satin Chic / Beautiful / Ride A White Horse / Ooh La La // Black Cherry / Number 1 /// Strict Machine

Aside from two additional songs from Felt Mountain and a slightly shuffled running order, this was essentially the same show that I saw a few months ago. Of course, that exactly what I wanted – Goldfrapp obviously put quite a bit of thought into their spectacle, and to see them do anything less would be a shame. I had a very real fear that the dancers wouldn’t show up since they put off “Train” until the fourth song into the setlist! As with the visual representation, the band have honed their performance to the point of scary precision. They nail everything from the softest bits to the most intense vamps, and keep things consisently theatrical without veering into tedium or cheesiness. After seeing a show like this, it just makes most everyone else seem like such amateurs.

Goldfrapp “Satin Chic (Bombay Mix by The Shortwave Set)” – When I first read about this, I had hoped for something over the top and Bollywood, but The Shortwave Set go off in the other direction, slowing it down a bit and emphasizing the song’s cabaret roots. It’s quite good as a companion to the original version, though I do prefer the pep and skip of the album mix. (Click here to buy it from Amazon UK.)

Carbon Dating Service “Lazerbear” – Layers of warm, gentle instrumentation piled on like blankets; a pretty tune with a pace in no hurry to get anywhere – this song sounds more or less exactly like what I would expect from a ten piece band of twentysomethings from Saskatoon. I’ve generally soured on indie’s trend toward sprawling over-arranged collectivism and quiet coziness, but this is the exception that proves the rule. For a composition with so many instruments, the song actually feels quite sparse and understated, nicely avoiding the clumsy bombast of Bright Eyes or the “HEY EVERYONE LOOK A STRING SECTION A STRING SECTION I’VE GOT HORNS AND A STRING SECTION!!! C’MON C’MON C’MON LOOOOOOOOOK!” vibe of Sufjan Stevens. (Click here for the Carbon Dating Service’s MySpace page.)