Arts & Crafts Tour feat. Reuben and the Dark, NO, and The Darcys, at 7th St Entry Mpls. (28 Mar 2014) concert review

The phrase “Canadian Arts and Crafts Showcase” sounds a little like a college elective course.



In truth, Arts & Crafts is an established Canadian record label that has successfully nurtured the likes of Stars, Broken Social Scene and Feist among others, and has expanded to include other Canadian and now American artists, and is celebrating with a showcasing tour that arrived in Minneapolis over the weekend.

The Darcys Setlist Photo

The evening began with a set from Toronto’s The Darcys, just Juno Award-nominated for their third indie art-rock album, Warring (Arts &Crafts). The Toronto quartet,led by singer/keyboardist Jason Couse (who is unafraid to sing falsetto), had also covered Steely Dan’s Aja in its entirety on its last release, and offered up the Dan’s ‘Josie’, mid-set.



Couse and band Wes Marksell [drums], Michael le Riche [guitar, synth, vocals] and Dave Hurlow [bass] kept tempo high with cuts like ‘Pretty Girls’ while more experimental songs like ‘Itchy Blood’ took more unconventional turns and demanded your attention.

NO

Echo Park/Los Angeles band NO was next, playing a spanning 40 min. set in near-darkness, that had singer Bradley Carter often moving along the stage edge and inciting the crowd. The six-piece plays a moody, widescreen blend of driving indie rock, built one brick at a time.

NO Setlist Photo

Comparisons to the National and Interpol are inevitable due to Carter’s similar baritone delivery, but the New Zealand native and his bandmates (bassist Sean Stentz, guitarists Reese Richardson, Ryan Lallier and Simon Oscroft, and drummer Michael Walker) stand on their own, in terms of the songs on their debut, El Prado (Arts & Crafts).



‘Last Chance’ was anthemic in chorus, ‘Leave the Door Wide Open’, the album’s first single, is immediately memorable, and ‘Stay With Me’, which was also on the band’s initial EP, was a dark, crashing centerpiece. Expect them to graduate to bigger venues next time around, to better fit their already large sound palette.

Reuben and the Dark

Calgary’s Reuben and the Dark closed the show with a set that previewed many songs from its upcoming Funeral Sky (Arts & Crafts), due out May 27th. The band, led by guitarist Ruben Bullock and his drummer Distance, has an organic and homegrown feel to its harmonic and guitar-driven indie-folk. The stage was illuminated by dim yellow lights hanging from each mic stand, bringing an added intimacy to their performance.

Reuben and the Dark Setlist

First single from the album (co-produced by Chris Hayden, Florence+The Machine’s drummer) , ‘Rolling Stone’ fit right in alongside other songs like ‘Bow and Arrow’ and ‘Winter’s Widow’; treading a fine line between darkness and joy, and “hot and cold” as the lyric goes. ‘Shoulderblade’ was a gentle and highly personal song, and the haunting ‘A Memory’s Lament’ benefitted most from the band’s four-part harmonies.



All in all, an entertaining evening of diverse sounds from one of our favorite indie labels with a golden ear for the next up-and-comers. Each of the three bands, though different and unique, is worth keeping an eye on, as to where they go next.

john
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