Scottish Monsters Invade, Beautifully

The last time I saw Mogwai (July 2003, I believe), I stood with my forearms on the stage and crossed, watching the awesomeness that is their live show. This time around, I was a couple rows back, sometimes being taken aback by their wild and random light display. That definitely surprised me, as did their performance that night. They came out dressed in green track suits, with the crowd roaring as they opened with "Yes, I Am a Long Way From Home," (how appropriate. The sound was super-clean, with every harmonic ringing in my ears with simple delight.

Some say this band is moody; true, their music can be that at times. But they're always a treat to see live. They play the loud parts jarringly-loud, and their soft parts... pillow-soft? However, their set was more subdued than last time, playing mostly from their newest disc, Mr. Beast. They didn't play any of their long tracks, which disappointed me. But, bands have to mix things up once in a while, and I understand that. I wasn't fond of some of the stage lighting, and the sign outside First Avenue said there would be strobes going off; still, some of it detracted from their otherwise-stellar performance. I did enjoy their Scottish emblem displayed on a banner onstage, and the way the main guitarist swayed and moved; with and by the music. Not just for the crowd, but for himself as well. When I see music moving someone like that, it simply moves me. I've written many poems and journal entries to Mogwai's catalogue; after that night, I don't see an end to that.

I didn't catch all of Torche's opening set, but what I did see was straight-up metal (not fast, just slow-crushing drums that built in intensity with every hit). Long-haired musicians rocking out, the singer yelling words I couldn't understand (partly because the sound mix wasn't great - happens with opening acts, unfortunately); the kind of metal music not heard a lot anymore.

To end this, it is unbelievable that I saw Sigur Ros, Mogwai and Mono in the span of a little over a month. Thank you, Twin Cities music venues, so so much.

Circles surrounded with Loud Birds

The above mentioned title refers to the mind-numblingly fantastic post-rock show I saw last night at the Triple Rock Social Club.

Russian Circles opened up, and I'm telling you, they're pushing the envelope when it comes to post-rock/post-metal. Crushingly intense, complex drum beats, finger-tapping, occasional guitar shredding and a venerial cornacopiea of bass lines made for an eye-opening, jaw dropping performance! This band just has it. It was so refreshing to see instrumental music played with that kind of demeanor, that kind of random style. I will definitely see them again when they come back around.

I've always loved Pelican on disc, and I thought that they would blow me away live. Surprisingly, they didn't. The sound was loud, the band intense, but every song was fast and loud. They've got some quiter, acoustic songs in their catalogue, but they didn't play any of them. Whereas both Russian Circles and Mono played loud and soft songs, Pelican played nothing but loud ones. They were metal, hard-hitting and lively, but there was no real change in tempo or volume. The singer had mentioned that this was the largest crowd that they had played for in Minnesota, which was nice. However, they could have changed up their set a bit to have the music ebb and flow, upon which a lot of music (especially instrumental) is built.

Having seen Mono twice, I knew I was in for quite a treat. They never cease to amaze me, or completely refresh and floor me; mission accomplished again. They played some newer songs, and their bassist even played piano for a song intro. Like recent Sigur Ros and Mogwai shows I've been to, Mono's set was more melodic. Many songs began and ended with the two guitarists' building on each other's bright and simple harmonic picking, with quiet basslines and hushed drums filling our ears to round out the beauty they display through their playing. Absolutely gorgeous, is how I can describe their set last night. You could hear your heartbeat when songs ended, since the audience was so stunned (at least I was) by their performance. They're from Japan, but yet I've seen them three times now in the last 2 years! You can be sure I'll see them when they come back around, since they always add something new each time. If you like them, go pick up their new disc, the Steve Albini-produced You Are Here. It's perfect.