Tuesday, February 26, 2008

instructions for dancing




















I have one James Goldsmith to thank for my unabashed infatuation w/ the Magnetic Fields (see 'em? they're there). Because it was a great many moons ago, after an evening spent at Beth & James', that David lit up the stereo, the room, the apartment, the city, my whole life--w/ a disc that hasn't since slipped from my personal top 5 (3?). Oh, Holiday. My first love was "Desert Island," which soon gave way to "Deep Sea Diving Suit," which never gave way to anything though "Strange Powers" and "Take Ecstasy w/ Me," at times, came dangerously close. As we stood doing whatever (making dinner, if memory serves) in the kitchen of that old Ballard beauty (that black & white checked bathroom, those skylights, the space the space the space), a strange new sound filled the room/my ears. And boy did I like it. "What? Who's this?" "Uh, Magnetic Fields. Borrowing it from James." I don't know, I must've gotten in a "why am I just now finding out about this?" to which I must've received a "because you don't know good music" (heh, sore point). Anyway, suffice it to say, life'd be less lustrous w/o staggering quantities of MF in my music library (for one, a particularly juvenile stalker-story wouldn't have found its way into the archives, which'd, I think, be a shame), and so thanks--those who know/knew.

The Town Hall show was on Saturday--their third of four. At my side, Doug and David; in my heart, hope (no Distortion/all 69, no Distortion/all 69). And whadaya know--hope was not for naught. The lineup:

01 "Wasps' Nests" (The 6ths)
02 "No one Will Every Love You"
03 "California Girls"
04 "The Abandoned Castle Of My Soul" (The Gothic Archies)
05 "The Nun's Litany"
06 "I Looked All Over Town"
07 "Epitaph For My Heart"
08 "I Don't Believe You"
09 "Dreams Anymore"
10 "The Little Ukulele"
11 "All Dressed Up In Dreams" (The 6ths)
12 "Zombie Boy"
13 "Papa Was A Rodeo"
14 "Take Ecstasy With Me"
15 "Courtesans"
16 "Crows Everywhere" (The Gothic Archies)
17 "Too Drunk To Dream"
18 "The Book Of Love"
19 "No River" (Future Bible Heroes)
20 "Drive On, Driver"
21 "What A Fucking Lovely Day!" (Merritt tune from Showtunes)
22 "Yeah! Oh, Yeah!"
23 "It's Only Time"
24 "Three-Way"
25 "As You Turn To Go" (The 6ths)
26 "Grand Canyon"

I mean, Epitaph? Rodeo? Book of Love? Yikes, the goodness was almost too thick to absorb. Though I'd seen Rodeo live once before, both it and Book of Love sounded especially vital this time around. Just so pretty and brave. Sadly, though others seemed approving, I found Ecstasy to be a bit of a letdown--piano-heavy and w/ Shirley, not SM, at the helm. Just a different song this way. And, and, and... Grand Canyon. Gulp. This is, I dare say, my favorite of favorites, so it goes w/o saying that I couldn't have imagined a better finale. The only thing better would've been if it had come as a surprise. (Damn bloggers, posting setlists from prior shows. And, okay, damn me for seeking them out.)

What else... I don't know, the Distortion stuff was alright (live, they went sans fuzz/feedback in favor of succinct melodies & lyrics), though I firmly hold that Merritt's writing's not up to snuff this time around. Feels kinda lazy. And the Claudia/Stephin back-and-forth was predictably cute/witty/cranky, though w/ a few too many Muppet references in my opinion.

Again, spotlight on the early years, as I suppose is generally the case...

More/better.

Posted by princess kanomanom @ 3:21 PM