Lisa Loeb is an accomplished singer-songwriter with a discography that stands up next to her contemporaries. Hopefully the next time she comes into town to play, she won’t try to wear too many hats (or different glasses, for that matter), and she’ll be Lisa Loeb, the musician we came to love over the past fifteen years.
Even still, there’s always been an earnestness to Sarah McLachlan’s persona, as well as a captivating charm to her music that continues to make people pay attention. Her sold out show in February at Oakland’s Paramount Theatre is another testament to the fact that people are still very interested in Sarah McLachlan. All the frustrations with her seeming scarcity of ingenuity at this point in her career are valid and credible, but leave it to McLachlan to look those exasperated listeners square in the eye, crack a wry smile and belt out with that angelic voice, leaving behind all that disappointment.
There was a surprisingly wide spread of ages at Suzanne Vega's recent San Francisco show at the Palace of the Fine Arts, from children to seniors enjoying the two hour-long concert. She split the show into two main sets, followed by a three song encore. She covered the breadth of her catalogue, while also playing two songs from the forthcoming musical Carson McCullers Talks About Love, which she co-wrote with Spring Awakening sensation Duncan Sheik. Sadly, though, she omitted songs from her insanely undervalued third album Days of Open Hand. But, with a collection of songs so rich and compelling, it’s understandable.
Jay Brannan’s performance in San Francisco proved his worthiness among his folk contemporaries. He’s able to craft songs that engage the audience while still retaining a poetry that comes from a maturing artistry. Each of his shows in the city continue to sell out, indicating Brannan’s growing fanbase. With some careful editing and restraint on his new album, he could really rocket from low visibility to sought-after folk singer. T
Joined by daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche (an up-and-coming folk singer in her own right), Loudon Wainwright’s show at Freight & Salvage reminded audience young and old why he continues to be such a great entertainer and social commentator.
pex Manor performed a solid set for the Noise Pop Festival. Their sound is unfussy and sincere, and Flournoy’s singing is candid, heartfelt and mature. He’s a captivating frontman with an impressive grasp of crowd dynamics, knowing how to play to their energy and still lead them to want more. If Apex Manor keeps up this momentum, they will definitely be a must-see act on their subsequent tours.
Civilian feels like the most decisively authentic, relaxed and dynamic expression of Wasner and Stack’s talent thus far. This era is vital for the band, as it may be exactly the time that they break through into indie-rock stardom. If there’s ever an album with which to do it, Civilian is it. Come December when everyone is compiling “Best of 2011” lists, Civilian will no doubt be featured abundantly.
It’s certainly not everyday that an avant-garde cellist sells out a show in a popular rock club, and adorned with only a cello, series of foot pedals and laptop completely wins over the entire crowd. That is unless you’re Zoe Keating
Let England Shake continues where PJ Harvey's White Chalk let off– not in sound but in aesthetic endeavor. It’s a daring step forward for Harvey. Dissenters may cite alienation as their key grievance for this new era in Harvey’s career, wishing for a return to the lower register singing and gripping guitar playing that characterized much of her 90’s work. In many ways, they’re not wrong to feel frustrated at Harvey’s new sound; however, reinvention is central to her artistic process, and to deny expansion is limiting and hampers potentially new avenues for Harvey’s self expression.
It’d be easy to file Let England Shake as a political missive—an accessible but dense album of musings about the state of our world through the lens of Harvey’s home country England. Yet, PJ Harvey’s continual (and in many ways insatiable) desire to reinvent both her persona and music make classifications exceedingly difficult. She does not seek to push the limits of her catalog but wholly redefine it, experimenting with vocal techniques, varied instrumentation or poetic structures that both destabilize her oeuvre while creating new spaces in which to exist.
