This Week in the Mercury
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Live Review Awwwwwww Au!
Posted by Andrew R Tonry on Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 3:44 PM
Photo clearly not taken at the Holocene
SHORTEST, BLURRIEST, LAZIEST SHOW REVIEW EVER: AU @ HOLOCENE, 2/19/08
I caught a chunk of Au last Thursday at Holocene. As usual, they were fucking incredible. However, there was something relatively unusual about this particular performance: it was just two of 'em, mastermind composer Luke Wyland and drummer Dana Valatka. The amount of joy and ruckus that came out of the duo was insane, and dare I say Valatka was every bit as important as Wyland. He was killing the drums, an ace of speed and precision, moving from thrash to pseudo-melodic cowbell/woodblock, to keeping it simple and serving the song, singing all the while. Ferocious. Wyland played on numerous keyboards, blew into melodica, did a little bit of looping and kept it sharp and thick with a big grin on his face all the while.
I used to think that Wyland's shit eating grin was a result of having so many musicians on stage, blowing his ideas sky high. I was wrong.
The last few times Au has played in Portland it's been with a gigantic ensemble of local musicians singing, banging and sharing. September's TBA performance was just an insane builder... the entrance of the drum core from all corners of the room, the matching lady singers and the painted chorus... good Lord it was something—a shimmering, glorious cacophony. I felt for the rest of the country, and for Au themselves, that a tour of this scope was impossible (at least for now).
But taking on the road as a duo tuned Wyland and Valatka into a fiercely strong machine. And though playing with a 20 person ensemble is something incredibly special, the two have managed to make their stripped-down show equally worthwhile. One one hand there's inclusive community of the ensemble. On the other there's a special one-on-one musical, almost telepathic connection which highlights the extreme amount of technical ability, creativity and talent harnessed by Wyland and Valatka. And in their own ways, each is a beautiful spectacle.
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