Last Monday I saw Frida Hyvönen at the Théâtre Marigny on the Champs-Elysées. As you can see, it's a magnificent venue, though I may not be accustomed to remaining seated for the duration of a concert. Frida is Swedish, and plays a sort of cabaret set with two other Swedish females, one on percussion and the other on bass guitar and cello. Their set was charming, opening with two of my Frida favorites, Birds and Enemy Within, more charming than it was strong.
The trio emanated a bird-like femininity, at one moment harmonizing in tones reminiscent of twittering sparrows. Their costumes, full body spandex jumpers with golden polyester decorations, contributed to their muse-like stage presence.
Though her lyrics may lack in poetics, the bizarre course and patterns of her melodies take hold of the listener, a kind of innocent seduction. She is two parts charmer, one part musician - but she's really charming, so let that speak to her talents as a musician. The songs are not moving, rather, they are alluring. It was a great performance.
Songs from Silence Is Wild
Hyvönen was followed by Clare and the Reasons, a five-person band out of New York playing songs I recognized, but did not know. Clare and her band were great, but I believe that none of their songs ever passed 100bpm. It all had a very hypnotic effect, and I'm embarrassed to admit I nodded off once or twice during their set! Can you blame me? I was seated, for goodness' sake! Clare's voice was more classically beautiful than the act preceding her, and her charisma would have made for great chemistry in a less formal venue setting.
Clare spoke some French, no doubt thanks to the French violin player. One of their songs was titled, Perdu à Paris, or "Lost in Paris". The American accent doesn't really do much for me, but I'm told it's nice. I would describe their performance as nice.
Then I saw a brief show just off the rue Oberkampf (not to be missed when visiting Paris) at a bar called Antirouille Café. Ultradig is a nifty Parisian/French Canadian trio with electronic, rock and folk influences. Left of YéYé, on their myspace page, is really good. The friend of a friend was acquainted with one the band-members.
Last Thursday I saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Le Bataclan on the Boulevard Voltaire in Paris' eleventh arrondissement. I had no ticket for the show, but for the second time this year, the scalpers roving the entrance came to my rescue. Actually, I never laid a hand on a ticket; instead, I paid a guy the rough equivalent of the price of a ticket to escort me directly to the VIP entrance (sneak me in through a fire exit, where his friend, working security at the venue, was waiting). I would have preferred that the money go to the band and the venue, as this is currently my sole means of supporting the music industry. In any case, I got in and saw a good rock show.
The YYYs have been around for quite some time (consult their wikipedia page for more on their history). WRNR, my preferred local, grass-roots radio station has successfully followed their rise to rock greatness. Another five years and they'll be ready for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (go C-town!). For those of you who aren't familiar with them, here is what you need to know about the band:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs = Karen O
And conversely,
Karen O = Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I was there for Karen O, not her band. The band may as well have not been present. No drummer, keyboard-playing bass-man, or guitar player could have been less exciting.
I have read a good deal about the Karen O performance - mostly that she dominates the stage and the spotlight, as if doing so were unfair or selfish.
When she took the stage and as the Parisians let forth a resounding oui, it all became clear. Karen O's performance was remarkable. Her composure surprised me. She was sober, her stage tricks were rehearsed to the letter, and she was beaming. Her voice always reminded me of a rubber band, and this rubber band voice is one of the best in contemporary rock and roll. Yes, it lacks in versatility, and performs more like a two-cylinder engine, being limited to roaring and off.
Her physical performance, like I said earlier, was spectacular. The few rock and roll stage conventions she calls on are for fun - the costumes, the costume change, the sexy dance moves and poses. The fist-pump, however, became the fist-pump jump, more girly than riotous. The show was, in fact, family friendly, which still baffles me.
Such fun made for a quick show - one and a quarter hours passed by quickly. Unfortunately, the encore numbers, including Maps, were emotionless. Maps has become another Wonderwall, Creep, Clocks, or Mr. Jones. Their live rendition of Zero, the single from their their new album It's Blitz, was also missing something.
Nonetheless, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are at their best, with Karen O as the proof. Though her strength on stage is dominating, all the attention is rightfully merited. She is a modern wonder in rock music, and we can only hope she and her band will continue to blaze the way for modern rock and rocker-kids.
Look back a few posts - a link to the Zero mp3 is in here somewhere.
This is not related:
I just stumbled upon this live clip of St. Vincent, one of the best new artists to arrive in 2009. Pitchfork Media's Susannah Young recently reviewed one of the best tracks on her album Actor (2009), titled Actor out of Work. The mp3 may be found at the end of this post. Her midwestern heritage means you've got to love her, and this live rendition of Marry Me is simply inspiring. It's a shame she had to play with the Polyphonic Spree, the most Mormon of bands to be aired on MTV. She's currently on tour and will be stopping in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York, and some town in Massachusetts.
Here are some other mp3s - very good ones, as always!
Lead Belly - Goodnight Irene
Dusty Springfield - Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa
St. Vincent - Actor Out of Work
Fever Ray - Coconut
The Streets - Trust Me
Midlake - We Gathered in Spring
Shugo Tokumaru - Rum Hee
As this post demonstrates, a minimal amount of schoolwork awaits me these coming weeks. However, my forgotten work ethic will make success a less-easily achieved objective. Time to listen to some Ronald Reagan speeches.
Please excuse any grammatical errors!
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