Colin Meloy
Friday, April 25
Liberty Hall
Review, photos and illustration by GRANT SNIDER
Colin Meloy is unfairly gifted – at stage banter. While Decemberists albums expose his knack for spinning melodic yarns about mercenaries and street urchins, his live performances are like listening to a bookish, non-ginger Conan O’Brian.
A his solo concert in Lawrence at Liberty Hall last Friday, Colin Meloy's songs seemed almost secondary to the self-deprecating charisma and ironic back-stories that prefaced the tunes. Early in the show, he apologized for “getting all footnotey – like a fuckin’ David Foster Wallace book.”
Laura Gibson opened the Portland-centric bill with meandering acoustic folk. I once heard Portland described as “Lawrence for grown-ups.” Singer-songwriters like Laura Gibson probably face fierce competition in this hipster mecca, carrying on the introspective legacy of Elliott Smith. Gibson’s voice is pretty and unique, but not so unique as to defy comparison: Imagine a less-breathy Feist with no accompaniment. Many of her songs flirted with hooks, wandering close to a memorable chorus but shying away at the last minute. Her delicate acoustic guitar picking rarely gave way to agitated strumming, leaving her hushed tunes without much contrast. Judging by Gibson’s promising Myspace tracks, a backing band helps to color in her spare outlines.
The Liberty Hall stage looked naked without the tangle of cords, amps, and drums of a typical rock show. Playing with the Decemberists, Colin Meloy is flanked by technically-skilled bandmembers armed with a slew of instruments. For his solo show, he had only a few acoustic guitars, a bottle of red wine, and a table with trinkets. Luckily, Meloy’s aforementioned stage presence, rich voice, and stellar storytelling make him the ideal performer for a sonically challenged set. A friend of mine saw the Decemberists play a concert last summer with the L.A. Philharmonic – and was blown away by the sound. Though Colin Meloy singing live to promote Colin Meloy Sings Live! is an entertaining concept, I would’ve sold a kidney to see the Philharmonic show. Or at least “volunteered” at Quintiles, which that same friend has been known to do.
Meloy’s set list was primarily Decemberists material, interspersed with an unreleased track about gypsies (“Shiny”), a great song from his college band Tarkio (“Tristan and Iseult”), and a solid Sam Cooke cover (“Cupid”). The Crane Wife, a concept album about Colin Meloy’s unfortunate discovery of prog-rock, was well represented. It’s my least favorite Decemberists album, but the only one I’ve actually purchased. This time, I couldn’t press skip when I heard “The Perfect Crime.”
Meloy also introduced two parts of a newly written song cycle – but not without a lengthy prologue. I’ll paraphrase: "Two lovers, male and female, have just finished coupling out in the forest, and while she’s falling asleep, the guy – he’s kind of…a magical guy – is singing pillow-talk to her as he slips away. In the second part, the villain approaches the sleeping girl, and as he approaches, he gives his credo – as villains are wont to do.” The sweet post-coital lullaby and demented villain’s credo hinted at a ballad of Tain-like proportions. Lyrics about infanticide seemed pulled from The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Meloy’s music would make the perfect soundtrack to and Edward Gorey book, or maybe Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Of course, Stephin Merritt has already claimed that honor.
To open the encore, Meloy launched into the opening chords of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “King of Carrot Flowers.” He stopped the joke abruptly despite scattered cheers. The Decemberists’ Castaways and Cutouts brought comparisons to Jeff Mangum for its anachronistic sound and lyrical content. Now, Magnum and Meloy seem polar opposites – a reclusive cult hero versus a polished performer with widespread appeal. Though his Myspace page claims the genre of “happy hardcore,” Colin Meloy may be the unlikeliest dude with a forearm tattoo.
Set List:
1. Shiny
2. Apology Song
3. We Both Go Down Together
4. The Engine Driver
5. On the Bus Mall
6. The Perfect Crime No. 2
7. O Valencia!
8. Tristan and Iseult
9. [New Song]
10. Cupid (Sam Cooke Cover)
11. Shankill Butchers
12. A Cautionary Song
Encore:
1. Oceanside
2. The Mariner’s Revenge Song
like
dislike
