The Album Leaf Proves Less Is More During Stunning Saturday Set

The Album Leaf took the stage Saturday at the Bluebird and proved to the audience that less is more when it comes to music. Their sparse, modulating beat arrangements, murmured vocals, muted trumpet and violin worked cohesively to create densely atmospheric sound. Their set drew from their widely acclaimed work of the early and mid 2000’s, particularly In a Safe Place and their stunning new album Between Waves (Relapse Records), accompanied by entrancing, chimeric visual displays projected onto intersecting squares of mesh fabric. 

Matthew Resovich of The Album Leaf @ The BluebirdPhoto by Featured Photographer Sebastien Barre

Matthew Resovich of The Album Leaf @ The Bluebird

Photo by Featured Photographer Sebastien Barre

 

Denver warmly welcomed the band back to Denver after a six year hiatus, having kept quiet since they toured A Chorus of Storytellers back in 2010. Although the show wasn’t sold out, the band drew a sizeable crowd on the cool Saturday night of devoted listeners, eager to hear and see what they came up with during their extended lunch break. It was somewhat surprising to see devoted fans hollering in excitement for ambient post-rock, but considering the on stage performance, the electric chemistry and technical deftness, the crowd reaction made perfect sense. 

Their set consisted of well recognized tracks like, “Over the Pond” and ‘Find our Way” from In a Safe Place much to the crowds delight, and then was finished off by a stunning succession of new songs such as “False Lights” and “Back to the Start”. 

To those who aren’t too familiar with The Album Leaf, their multitude of albums dating from 1998-2010 will undoubtedly sound familiar, seeing as they’ve been featured in movies, T.V. and various other media outlets throughout the 2000’s including SCANDAL and Sons of Anarchy. They’ve toured all over the world, including two global tours with Icelandic band Sigur Rós.

The five piece band is a project of Jimmy Valle, and the band began back in the late 90’s in San Diego. Their first show was at the Che Cafe, the birthplace of other San Diego bands including Weatherbox and Inspired in the Sleep. 

Their sound is syncretic, and their bio lists influences of a wide range of eras and styles,  including the late 60’s German Ambient-Psych group Can, Mariachi music and the immortal Brian Eno.

Many recount their albums with a certain nostalgic sleepiness; the band we layed in our blue-lit bedrooms listening to, while staying up late to study for a class, or during a cloudy, particularly blue day. While their albums sleep seamlessly into the backdrop, in my opinion the band is best enjoyed live. 

The Album Leaf is known for their light shows, and their performances paired with the visual projections made for wholly new experience for me despite my previous familiarity. I felt myself slipping down into a sound hole, a whirling, walless room of thought. 

The Album Leaf put much digestion and time recording their August release Between Waves, a meticulously arranged and a somewhat surprising leap forward. The album relies more on electronic construction than they have previously, but the overall tone is unmistakable. The new tracks slipped into their repertoire easily, adding newfound depth and layers on top of their already very solid foundation. Their synth lines recall those of another successful San Diego based band Pinback who also utilizes a driving bassline, synthesizer and low flying vocals. Both bands bring the same bluish colors and tones to mind. Regardless, the unforgettable blue hues of their sound of The Album Leaf is due to their originality and experimentation, not at all to the detriment of their technique.

These days, one often feels like everything has already been done. The internet has accelerated the growing branches of music and art genres; now splintering off into a dazzling, confusing array of postmodern art and forms of expression. It often seems like we’ve explored all possible nooks and crannies, anything new is almost low-level appropriation. The Album Leaf is proof that this notion is false. Their performance on Saturday night proved that there is always room for new forms and more branches. The band exhibited their nearly innate technical deftness, immense creativity, and masterful manipulation of mood. All they left us wanting for is a return visit. 

Music | Best Coast at The Bluebird Theatre Review

Monday night, September 21, the LA based band Best Coast gave Denver a live listen of their new Album California Nights. California Nights is Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno’s third full-length album, released in May, and is a slightly more sophisticated and thoughtful album covering their reoccurring themes of relationships and life in California. They are not the same band they were five years ago, and Cosentino’s growth both as a musician and coming into her late twenties, certainly shines through.

 

Cosentino explains how this album, “embodies the rich lightness and stinging darkness of a California state of mind” and the juxtaposition of what people perceive as LA with the sunny weather, big palm trees, and celebrities, contrasted with the intrepid, lonely reality. She says the title was a good fit for many reasons, one being there is a song on the album by the same name, which, “is one of the biggest, most different songs we’ve written” and the fact that she does much of her creative thinking at night. “It also ties in with the idea that, as natives of LA, Bobb and I know a lot of spots and places within and around the city that a lot of people don't really know or care to know,” Cosentino reveals. “There is a grittiness and darkness to Los Angeles. We related to the idea that things may LOOK or SOUND fun and upbeat, but they may not actually always BE that way, much like our songs.”

If you’ve never heard them live, there is certainly a ruggedness to their sound that is playfully contrasted with Cosentino’s light, flirty vocals. Their new lineup included three guitars, making them a five-piece band instead of the normal three or four. Though most of their songs can be played with three to four people, the new additions fit in and complemented their new, more sophisticated sound. Hearing them live, especially with the added guitars, was even grittier than on their record, as you could feel the sound reverberate around you and see the drummer and guitarists moving their arms a million miles a minute. Meanwhile, Cosentino is up there in the center going through all these different facial expressions as she sings about her many experiences, thoughts, and feelings. It was an emotional experience to watch them play, as I think all live art should be and the crowd responded.

The Bluebird was packed with all different types of people. Most of which was comprised by couples who would be singing or swaying along, not appearing that one had been dragged along by the other. In fact, most of the “woo!” ing came from guys, which is not too surprising. One would think Cosentino has a handful of men to choose from in any given city, yet her lyrics indicate she is still pining away for one good guy to give her a lasting happy love song.

Best Coast played a full hour and a half set with no breaks, just a minute at most between songs to say thank you, which she did after every song, and to take a drink. The majority of the set came off of their current California Nights, though they did play a few throwback favorites such as, “When I’m with You” and “Our Deal” and closed with their most popular track “Boyfriend”. Cosentino made it apparent she knew what a crowd pleaser that song is by joking, “I’ll give you $5 if you can guess what song we’re about to play to close off the night.” There were no outfit or set changes, special effects or special guests, but Best Coast brought their energy and authenticity to Bluebird Theater Monday night and that’s all us fans can really ask for. 

Review: Tiffany Candelaria 

Music | Misterwives, Børns, Handsome Ghost | Bluebird Theatre | March 9, 2015

I go to a lot of concerts. Both a curse and a blessing, I’ve realized in the four years I’ve been working for Ultra5280 that regardless of a bands musicality, live concerts can only really fit into one of four basic categories: 1) A show that’s just meh, 2) the band that sounds good, but is boring to watch perform live, 3) the band that I love unconditionally and will be happy to watch regardless of sound or performance (everyone has these, no judging me), and 4) the band who’s music is good, but their live performance truly hooks me as a diehard fan. Misterwives easily claimed their seat in category number four on Monday night, and did so by the end of their first song. A night showcasing many up and coming pop acts to be watched in 2015, Handsome Ghost, Børns, and Misterwives made for a great lineup as they stopped by The Bluebird Theatre this past Monday night. 

Opening the night was Handsome Ghost, an ethereal, ambient duo based in Boston, Mass. Playing a quick 30minute set, fans got an early taste of the group’s new “Steps” EP which was being released the next day. Lead singer Tim Noyes blends tranquil-yet-upbeat piano grooves with airy, melodic harmonies one would expect from a Bon Iver record. A genre he personally describes as “Indie Prom”, I find this a fitting description for the band that seems poised to take Owl City’s place atop the synth-pop podium of the radio world. I was pleasantly surprised by this band’s resonance with me on a evening when I was only expecting upbeat, funk-laced pop. Certainly a group to watch, Handsome Ghost left me satisfied in ways I did not expect, anxious to hear a slightly more diverse repertoire as the band continues to grow. 

Next to take the stage was newcomer Børns. With spring right around the corner and summer following in quick succession, it’s hard to not feel entranced by their effortlessly catchy songs overflowing with sun-kissed melodies and danceable bass lines. Singer/songwriter Garrett Borns’ charismatic electro-rock EP Candy was released last November, and the track “Electric Love” has been steadily making it’s way onto radio stations across the US over the course of the last month. Although the record is filled with unique instrumentation, I was most curious to hear Borns’ vocal range on Monday night. While his vocals were pitch perfect, I found myself disappointed to hear the singer choose to not hit the high note that carries the chorus of “Electric Love”. An understandably difficult request for any vocalist, I’m hoping to hear the song in it’s full glory at SXSW next week. With a talented four piece band accompanying the singer on stage complete with a badass (sorry) female drummer and another vocalist producing perfectly matched harmonies, Børns had the audience moving and grooving without much solicitation. 

Capping off the night was Misterwives, who’s radio single “Reflections” has been burning up KTCL 93.3’s rotation for months now. As the stage went dark and the band took their places, lead singer Mandy Lee led her band of brothers in a series of hand gestures, ending in a “salute” to the audience before diving into their new album’s title track “Our Own House”. Lee took control of the stage immediately, leading fans in hand-claps before the band broke into the song’s chorus. Dancing, spinning, jumping and oozing with passion, Lee’s stage presence feels more fitting of a big band bandleader from the 1950’s than a vocalist of any modern day group, keeping both the audience and the band easily in sync. As the group finished the track’s last punchy notes, the crowd could not stop cheering: errupting in a standing ovation (if you will) by the end of track one, only for drummer Etienne to take the mic and inform the audience that Ms. Lee has been in bed sick for the past two days…WHAT?! It was unbelievable to me that she could be sick after watching this frontwoman move on stage, yet as I watched more closely through the rest of the night, there it was: her timid coughing in between tracks, and the occasional squirting of honey straight from the bottle down her throat to coat her inflamed vocal chords. We were five minutes into this show and I already felt as if I could not be more impressed with group, but there I was, shocked and amazed, watching Lee continue to lead her band in a choreographed stomp-clap routine before jumping into “Box Around The Sun” despite her illness.

The show continued much like this, each track keeping me head-bobbing, toe-tapping and smiling ear to ear. When listening to their debut album, I was immediately impressed with the band’s seamless blend of indie pop and funk-influenced instrumentation, but what intrigued me the most was lead singer Lee’s diverse, powerful range. Often times voices like hers can be hard to control live, but Monday night she sang like she was born to do nothing else. I did not hear one single sour note escape Ms. Lee’s mouth from the evening’s beginning to end, only continuing to prove her vocal skill with songs like the jazzy “Oceans” and the addictively anthemic “No Need For Dreaming”. If this girl has a voice like that on a night when she’s sick, I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like during a show when she’s at 100%. Multi-instrumentalist Jesse Blum was another highlight of the show, playing a trumpet with one hand while playing keys with the other, even picking up an accordion and glockenspiel for different tracks. The fun the band was having emanated from the stage out into the crowd, keeping fans moving all night long right alongside them. 

As the band began their radio hit “Reflections” at the end of the night, you could barely hear the instruments above the crowd’s momentous sing-along; every part of the room was exploding with energy. As if they had not expressed it enough throughout the night, band’s genuine appreciation for the crowd was displayed by the awestruck looks on each member’s faces as they ended the song to an uproar of applause. Bassist Will Hehir looked beside himself as he and the rest of the band took in the crowd’s raucous approval for a few moments before ending their set with the song “Queens”. 

It takes a lot to get me excited about a new band these days, but Misterwives has checked every box on my list, if not more. We’re expecting to see the group again this next week at SXSW (pending Lee’s health concerns - get well soon!), but regardless of when my next chance comes, you can bet that I woldn’t miss it for the world. Honest and uplifting lyrics mixed with impressive performance skills and even more impressive musicality, I both admire and appreciate Misterwives’ determination to set the new standard for pop acts.