| MUSIC REVIEW: LOW WITH MARK EITZEL |
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| MUSIC REVIEW: LOW WITH MARK EITZEL |
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Ever go to a music show where you don't know any of the performers? No, me neither. Well, not often. The other night, I did. A couple of friends blew into town to see a favorite band, and with a little arm twisting (ow, ow) myself and my long-term joined in. I knew very little of either artist. Mark Eitzel used to be in a band named American Music Club. They got critical acclaim, and then broke up. Eitzel is from the classic singer/songwriter mold: lyrics over melody. The performance featured Mark on guitar, and a percussionist with a spare drum kit and vibrophone (zylophone, marimba - something like that). The performance was good - Eitzel's singing is poweful and passionate. His lyrics are smart and clever - poetic at times. The playing was decent - but that was secondary to the content. A couple times, I thought I might have heard the same song more than once. I know that's damning praise. I liked Eitzel's performance, but the overriding impression I was left with was "this dude is smart and bitter." But pretty good, nonetheless. Low
is a band I had very little exposure to. I knew they were spare. Electric
Guitar, Bass, a little low-fi synth, kettle drum and hi-hat cymbal.
The trio makes the most of small orchestration. If Eitzel is all about
the lyric, Low is all about the melody and harmony. Their compositions
are rooted in a Folk and Pop background, and the hooks are there -
even if they are elusive. Low brings to mind bands like Galaxie 500,
which pretty much pre-defined the dream-pop wave of the early 90's.
The performance was amazing. The harmonies between husband-guitarist
and wife-percussionist Alan Parhawk & Mimi Parker are transcendant.
Low is the kind of band that some might call depressing - because
their mood is mellow & melancholy and the tempo is slow. Most
of the time, it's like using a dull knife as a weapon: simple, shiny
and a little difficult. There were a few moments that were more rocking.
At those times, Parhawk's vocals and guitar evoked the noise and whine
of Neil Young. Otherwise, Low was great shoe-gazing lounge music.
There is a personal, sensitive and somewhat injured quality to the
songs of Low. Which makes listening to them a calm and surprisingly
introspective experience. They're good. The set from this show featured
an amazing cover of a pre-"Dark Side" Pink Floyd song named
"Fearless" that had the perfect mix of optimism and harmony
that typifies Low's sound. I'm not sure how else to describe Low.
Cool. My buddy Matt - the Low fan who instigated me being there in
the first place - has allowed me to listen to his Low collection,
and I'm happily absorbing their musical history. It nothing else,
I can say that they won me over.
- Ian, Oct 12, 02 |
| LINKS: LOW & MARK EITZEL |
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Eitzel:
http://www.markeitzel.com/ |
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FEEDBACK:
LOW & MARK EITZEL
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| MUSIC REVIEW: LOW WITH MARK EITZEL |
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