SOUNDTRACK: ANDY SHAUF-Live at Massey Hall (November 23, 2017).
I know Andy Shauf from a Tiny Desk Concert. I was fascinated then and am now by his long hair, soft-spoken voice and astonishing lack of movement in his body and mouth when he sings.
The record he is touring here is 2016’s The Party which propelled him onto bigger stages, including Massey Hall. He says in his characteristically quiet way
Every stage is a little different. I’m a big fan of that Neil Young record. That was here. That was here (smiles).
“Twist My Ankle” starts the show with his gentle guitar strums. Twin clarinets (Daniel Pencer and Karen Ng) propel this song slowly forward. It a wonderful melody. Then Shauf starts singing with his unique vocal patterns. I can’t figure out what it is about the way he sings, but the way he enunciates words is so peculiar.
Later he says that there was one interview when I said The Party isn’t a concept album, and that has followed him around. It totally is a concept album, but I was thinking more of Mr Roboto or something. The whole album is about a party with the common theme of humiliation and shame. People are just making mistakes while drinking at a party–trying to navigate social situations.
“Twist My Ankle” ends with the line, “everybody’s laughing at me I wish I’d just stayed home.”
“You’re Out Wasting” has a simple, repetitive but very alluring guitar melody. It’s a wonderfully catchy song about wasting time with the right guy.
“Quite Like You” is a bit more upbeat and catchy–the crowd reacts very warmly to it. but again the lyrics are pretty dark. It’s about a guy trying to pick up his friend’s girlfriend.
“Early to the Party” is a mellow song with wonderful instrumental interludes–the horns really brighten the song. This is one of many places where his enunciation is so strange. Especially since he sings so quietly: “tying you in nawts.”
“The Word in You” has an upbeat piano melody which his vocals follow perfectly. He says it’s exciting playing with strings and clarinets. A lot of parts are six voices and now we have six voices–it makes the songs more exciting to play. A lot of time you get sick of playing the same songs every night but this time the shows have gotten a little bit bigger so you can feel a different energy when people are excited to hear a song rather than trying to introduce your songs to people.
People respond loudly to “My Dear Helen.” This song is just him on the guitar, the starkness really helps you to focus on the words. It’s a letter to an old friend in which an old man confesses something terrible.
For the final song, “The Magician everyone comes back. The addition of bass clarinet (Michael Sachs) is wonderful. There’s pizzicato strings that turn into big swells from Emily Hau and Leslie Ting (violins) and Moira Burke (viola). The doo doo doo doo part is really catchy. The song builds and builds and is the most rocking thing with Olivier Fairfield’s drums really coming forward. Colin Nealis on keyboards and Josh Daignault on bass flesh out this excellent set ender.
[READ: July 24, 2017] “Everything is Far From Here”
This story serves as an unrelenting indictment against immigration polices.
It opens with a woman having arrived, at last. She is bruised and sunburnt, covered in birds and bugs and worn out. She is told to sleep, but she cannot for she is awaiting her son. She had been separated from him a few days ago being told there were too many of them.
She is finally able to ask someone where her son is. The guard speaks Spanish and tells her about the family unit. But among the children, her son is not there. But one woman tells her that her own son arrived a while week after she did.
She decides to wait. They let her store her clothes, her broken leather sandals, a plastic comb, and elastic hair band. They take her pocketknife (no weapons) a sleeve of cookies (no food) and a tin of Vaseline (no reason). (more…)
I Just Read About That... 