Opening act Oh No! Oh My! had great, catchy pop songs with a dash of synth here and there, but their songs seemed a bit underdeveloped. There was just that extra "something" missing from their songs and they seemed way too short for their own good. I feel like in another album or two they will finally get there, but for now, they're still working on it.
My main sentiment about Mew's live show is "good, not great" and I found that my feelings were confirmed by others around me who said the same thing. Overall, the band put on an entertaining show, with a mix of lights and a video screen with creepy images playing behind them. However, I thought the lead singer's trademark ethereal vocals got lost in the sound of the rest of the band and the drums had way too much echo on them, making it sound like they were playing in a cave. Maybe Mew have too big of a sound for the small Paradise, or maybe the sound was just off that night, but it definitely impacted their set. Regardless, they played a great mix of stuff off their new album And The Glass Handed Kites and their recently released in the U.S. title Frengers (a mix of friends and strangers, get it? I didn't). Highlights included "Snow Bridge" and "156" off Frengers, two personal favorites, as well as "Apocalypso" and "Zookeeper's Boy" from Kites. I feel like they would be suited towards a larger venue like the Avalon, and I certainly hope they come back to the States soon.
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For some reason I was not excited about seeing The Decemberists for what would be my fourth (or fifth? who knows) time, but after I heard the first notes being played by Mr. Colin Meloy, my mind had changed. Opening act My Brightest Diamond put on a solid set of country-inspired rock. She has a great, anguished voice that really goes well with her songs and I can't wait to check out her album.
Despite my dissatisfaction with The Crane Wife, and their set at The Orpheum back in November that left me underwhelmed, I still remain a fan of The Decemberists. I missed their show the night before since I was seeing Mew, but apparently they played a lot of older stuff. Their set on Saturday night consisted of mostly Crane Wife material like "Sons and Daughters", "The Perfect Crime", "Yankee Bayonet", but the group did interject with some older material, although NOTHING off of Her Majesty, arguably their best album. During "16 Military Wives", Colin split the crowd and made us participate in a shouting match with one another, which made for some fun sing-alongs. As usual, the band was engaged with the audience the whole time and it's impossible to get through a Decemberists set without laughing a whole hell of a lot. The group brought back fan favorite "The Mariner's Revenge Song" for the end of their set, featuring a new whale prop, as well as the expected sounds of the audience being swallowed by a whale. Despite the lack of older material (and b-side "Culling of the Fold", which you can watch on YouTube here. We seriously got screwed compared to Friday's show!), the Decemberists continually put on a solid live act that only gets better.
Pictures from The Decemberists on Friday March 23 (credit: Marybeth Miller, a hardcore Decemberists fan who was lucky enough to meet Colin and Chris Funk. I'm jealous.) Click for a bigger image:
Decemberists set list from Saturday March 24 @ Avalon (sadly, they didn't play "Eli" due to time constraints, since Avalon turns into a nightclub so they can actually make money)
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