[...music...]: final fantasy @ club lambi

2006-04-18

i just got back from the show. it has been way too long since i've seen a live band (six months). it felt great to go out tonight. i went with a good friend too, so it was a lot fun.

wyrd visions started the evening. the set was minimal, just two guitars. it was very hypnotizing, with repeated music and repeated lyrics, almost like he was chanting a mantra. somewhat haunting, especially since they played in quasi-darkness.

grizzly bear were next. their sound is mellow: soft and rich. a bit lush. almost dramatic at some instants. the band used various instruments to create different moods. i don't really know how to describe it. but i liked it a lot, and even swayed along with the music.

finally, final fantasy came on. just owen pallett and his violin. i am quite amazed at how much music he can make, solo, with just a violin and some gear. i have never seen a performance like his, where he plays some basic sounds, then loops it back, and plays some more over the loop. a very neat effect.

there was also a visual component to the performance. an overhead projector was set up. while he played, the girl moved some colourfully drawn slides around, creating an animation on the screen. very old school. the slides told the story of "final fantasy as orpheus", where he plays the violin instead of the lyre. it is a heart-breaking tale.

i started listening to final fantasy only after my friend sent me a video of him covering my favourite bloc party track "this modern love". after seeing the video, i actually like final fantasy's cover more than the original version. and tonight, as soon as he started plucking those few strings, i knew he was playing that song, and it made me happy to see it live.

a small technical glitch. when he played "this is the dream of win and régine", the song ended quite abruptly. the look of total surprise on his face revealed that this ending was not planned. luckily, it was just the battery of his sampler that chose the perfect moment to die, and so it was quickly replaced. also, during one of the new songs, he pressed the wrong pedal, momentarily interrupting the loop. oops.

and owen pallett is so cute.

~~~

cd purchases from the merch table:
wyrd visions - half-eaten guitar
grizzly bear - horn of plenty
final fantasy - he poos clouds

celebrity sighting: my friend spotted four members of the arcade fire in the audience.

hearing damage: close to none. it is a pleasant way to start attending shows again.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, club lambi, final fantasy, grizzly bear, shows, wyrd visions

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