As with most Walkmen songs, the drumming of Matt Barrick dominates, becoming a life of its own. The raucous "Angela Surf City" features a surf rock type snare drum beat from Barrick, before the chorus leads way to utter chaos. Later in their set, the band played two stand outs from their 2008 You & Me album: the dreamy waltz "Canadian Girl" and "In the New Year", whose swelling organs may only have been outdone by Leithauser's vocal chord shredding notes. Ending their set with Lisbon's opening track, the mid tempo "Juveniles", once again showed the patience and restraint that the band further developed over their latest release, a sure sign that the band is only getting better with age.
On "Moves", the second song of the New Pornographers set the line "These things get louder" was repeated over and over. Having seen the band twice, it's safe to say that the loudest I have ever seen them. Their vocals soared, riffs were crunchier and the bass heavier than normal. Those who were disappointed when last year's Neko Case show at the Square was canceled due to rain were rewarded for their patience as she once again joined the band tonight. Technically a full time member, Case does have a successful solo career that keeps her away from some shows so there is always the chance of her not making it(although I have yet to miss her). The band opened with a cover of Dutch band Shocking Blue's "Shocking You", a band I was not familiar with, but the song easily could have been mistaken for a NP song, as the band pulled it off to perfection.
Dan Bejar, the on again off again band member, has written and sang on some of my favorite New Pornographers songs over the years including "Jackie", "Spirit of Giving", and "Chump Change", so when he is not on tour with the NPs, the audience is usually not treated to his off beat contributions. Luckily, singer Carl Newman took the lead on an especially rocking version of one of Bejar's best, "Testament to Youth in Verse". Newest member Kathryn Calder, Newman's niece, was added to the group a few years back to have female vocals when Case was unable to join the band on tour. While singing supporting vocals on most tracks, she was able to take the lead on the the end of soulful "Adventures in Solitude"
The NP's ended their set with as good of a 1-2-3 finish as you could ask for. On "Mass Romantic" from their debut album of the same name, Case made it clear to the crowd that she is the vocal MVP for the band, and "Mass Romantic" adds a bit of swagger to her already powerful voice. Following the great "Use It" from their Twin Cinema album, the band gave everyone what they wanted as the opening chords to "The Bleeding Heart Show" strummed to make the crowd go wild. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who did not like this song at l Town Ballroom last night. Once the band hit the epic crescendo, the crowd was in a state of euphoria.
After a brief break, the band came out to play the ballad "Challengers". The gorgeous harmonies of Case and Calder proved the latter's worth as the extra vocals lifted the already beautiful song to a new level. The band finished up the night with an always great version of "Sing Me Spanish Techno", once again putting the great harmonies of the band on display. Seeing one band at the top of their game is always a treat, but getting two in one night is something special. The Walkmen and New Pornographers proved on Monday night that their long success is no fluke.
~mm
(photo by Sean Mikula)
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