I was surprised to discover that The Milk-Eyed Mender came out so recently as 2004 - it feels much longer ago. Anyway, it was much in the air for me for a few weeks after I got my hand on it back then, and then abruptly dropped off my radar altogether, and I never really listened to the stuff she put out after, so Wednesday's show marked something of a reacquaintance for me.
As it turned out, much of the show was made up of new songs, with four or five from The Milk-Eyed Mender and, I'm told, only one from Ys, and it was v.g. (much more satisfying than Neko Case last week) - she seemed to really be enjoying herself, and the songs were fleshed out well by her band. As a performer, she's intent while actually singing and playing (mostly harp, but keys for a few songs, including a rousing "Inflammatory Writ") but relaxed and charming between songs, and it was notable that, in a live setting (or perhaps just on her more recent songs), her voice seems both more natural than on record and more integrated and wielded as an instrument forming part of the whole.
(w/ Ruth, Meribah and Simon H - also met up with CT from work)
As it turned out, much of the show was made up of new songs, with four or five from The Milk-Eyed Mender and, I'm told, only one from Ys, and it was v.g. (much more satisfying than Neko Case last week) - she seemed to really be enjoying herself, and the songs were fleshed out well by her band. As a performer, she's intent while actually singing and playing (mostly harp, but keys for a few songs, including a rousing "Inflammatory Writ") but relaxed and charming between songs, and it was notable that, in a live setting (or perhaps just on her more recent songs), her voice seems both more natural than on record and more integrated and wielded as an instrument forming part of the whole.
(w/ Ruth, Meribah and Simon H - also met up with CT from work)
