I hadn't been to The Earl since August 9, 2013 (T Hardy Morris and Roadkill Ghost Choir). In the 10 weeks I'd been away, the club hung a metallic sign with the word Earl over the stage, but otherwise it's the same redoubtable venue. Last night, I saw the Brooklyn band Lucius perform beneath the new sign. Seattle's Hey Marseilles opened.
Hey Marseilles are a folk-rock sextet, but sound almost like a mini-orchestra as they feature a string section (cello and violin), guitars (electric and acoustic), keys, accordion, and drums, giving their full-bodied songs a memorably rich texture. Prior to last night's show, I had been out for most of the day at the L5P Halloween Parade watching marchers in horror costumes and listening to punk, rockabilly, and garage rock, but after just a few bars of Hey Marseilles' soothing music, my attitude snapped into position to fully enjoy their set. They're a band I've wanted to see for some time now (I missed them when they played Vinyl earlier this year), so I was glad to finally have the chance.
Headliners Lucius are primarily the duo of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, two singers and keyboardists with near-identical haircuts and both wearing the same outfit. Their specialty is harmony, and I don't think that we heard a single line of any song not sung by the two of them together in unison. This is a good thing, as their harmonies, along with the quirky rhythmic structures of their songs, are what makes their danceable indie pop so intoxicating to hear.
They have no drum kit but everyone contributes to percussion, even Jess and Holly, often giving their songs a tribal urgency. The resulting songs mix everything from Americana to torch ballads to ESG-influenced disco-punk.
For their encore, they played an acoustic song, unamplified, in the middle of the audience.
Lucius are touring in support of their first full-length record, Wildewoman, which dropped just last week. Impress your friends and be among the first to own a copy!
No comments:
Post a Comment