Young the Giant, with Ra Ra Riot at First Avenue, Minneapolis (27 Sep 2016)
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10/04/16 Iron City Birmingham, AL*
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This year’s political elections proves among other things, that America can truly be a Home of the Strange, but the recent performance by Young the Giant in the First Avenue’s Mainroom, was something to believe in.
Syracuse-area band Ra Ra Riot opened this entertaining evening of a double bill of two established alternative rock bands, each of which could have separately brought the near-capacity crowd into the venue. Both bands are melodic and a touch eclectic, so were an ideal matching, with Ra Ra Riot’s cello/violin section giving a unique and elegant sheen to all their compositions.
The band is out in support of Need Your Light (Barsuk Records), released earlier this year as their fourth full-length for the label. With the departure of original cellist Alex Lawn in 2012, the band’s sound has turned more electronic and their near hour-long set didn’t look as much to their past, as much as to their present and future.
The group started with one of their earliest songs, 2008’s ‘Too Too Too Fast’ co-written by the band’s original late drummer, John Pike (but excluded early hit, ‘Dying is Fine’, which was about his passing). The taste of the new began with 2013’s ‘Binary Mind’ with vocalist Miles easily sliding between mid-range vocals to more falsetto as violinist Zeller at his left, led the added elegance with added strings.
Closing tracks ‘Water’, which throbbed with electro-bass and ‘I Need Your Light’ which was also beat propelled, were both from the new album, produced on record by ex-Vampire Weekend keyboardist and longtime friend of the band, Rostam Batmanglij.
Amongst a painted mountain backdrop and with flags fluttering on each side of the stage, Young the Giant took to the stage with bright lights flashing to their opening, ‘Jungle Youth’ and instant energy. The Irvine, CA quintet (Sameer Gadhia; Jacob Tilley; Eric Cannata; Payam Doostzadeh; Francois Comtois) is clearly on a bigger and better trajectory with new album, Home of the Strange (Fueled by Ramen), a larger stage setup, has lept to bigger-sized venues than previous, and even had an iHeart Radio release party beamed live for the launch of this third full-length record.
From Sin City to Twin Cities, the band had played Las Vegas’ Life is Beautiful Festival the day before and were making their way down to Austin for two weekends of the ACL Festival but singer Gadhia, dressed in a red one-piece jumpsuit and switching between percussion, keys and guitar, showed none the worse for wear, clearly giving his vocal all and working up a sweat after just the first song.
Current single ‘Something to Believe In’ was played very early in the set (“we’re just getting started”, Gadhia would say after) and call it gutsy or just plain confident, three of the biggest songs from their 2010 debut, ‘I Got’, ‘Apartment’ and ‘Cough Syrup’ were all played relatively early in the evening as well. Gadhia mentioned their setlists changing almost nightly and while lesser bands might have been afraid of an audience exodus following, that section just succeeded in working the already fired up crowd, up even further.
‘Firelight’ showcased the band’s often hidden vocal harmonics, ‘Nothing’s Over’ had a rhythmic Talking Heads feel about it, and ‘Art Exhibit’ was a love song about finding a quiet spot in the city and is potentially the band’s most ambitiously sweeping song to date.
The title track of the new record, trippy and echoed in a Flaming Lips way ended the main set, just over an hour in, with Gadhia earlier describing its theme as about America- its beauty and grotesqueness, the hope and heartbreak that makes up its total picture.
The encore started with the new ‘Amerika’, continuing that disillusioned theme and was maybe more appropriate, hearing it played live the night after the first presidential debate was viewed by a hundred million people.
The new ‘Silvertongue’ followed, whose lyrics “Open my mouth, all the gems falling out, make you lose control” would prove a prediction for their final song, ‘My Body’ as the crowd did indeed lose their minds, jumping in place, hands swaying back and forth, and all singing along.
While the country’s current political and social climate definitely reinforces the band’s current home of the strange theme, Young the Giant shows the better side of that street; one more of hope, and a laid back chance to let your hair down and just let the music carry you.
Syracuse-area band Ra Ra Riot opened this entertaining evening of a double bill of two established alternative rock bands, each of which could have separately brought the near-capacity crowd into the venue. Both bands are melodic and a touch eclectic, so were an ideal matching, with Ra Ra Riot’s cello/violin section giving a unique and elegant sheen to all their compositions.
The band is out in support of Need Your Light (Barsuk Records), released earlier this year as their fourth full-length for the label. With the departure of original cellist Alex Lawn in 2012, the band’s sound has turned more electronic and their near hour-long set didn’t look as much to their past, as much as to their present and future.
The group started with one of their earliest songs, 2008’s ‘Too Too Too Fast’ co-written by the band’s original late drummer, John Pike (but excluded early hit, ‘Dying is Fine’, which was about his passing). The taste of the new began with 2013’s ‘Binary Mind’ with vocalist Miles easily sliding between mid-range vocals to more falsetto as violinist Zeller at his left, led the added elegance with added strings.
Closing tracks ‘Water’, which throbbed with electro-bass and ‘I Need Your Light’ which was also beat propelled, were both from the new album, produced on record by ex-Vampire Weekend keyboardist and longtime friend of the band, Rostam Batmanglij.
Amongst a painted mountain backdrop and with flags fluttering on each side of the stage, Young the Giant took to the stage with bright lights flashing to their opening, ‘Jungle Youth’ and instant energy. The Irvine, CA quintet (Sameer Gadhia; Jacob Tilley; Eric Cannata; Payam Doostzadeh; Francois Comtois) is clearly on a bigger and better trajectory with new album, Home of the Strange (Fueled by Ramen), a larger stage setup, has lept to bigger-sized venues than previous, and even had an iHeart Radio release party beamed live for the launch of this third full-length record.
From Sin City to Twin Cities, the band had played Las Vegas’ Life is Beautiful Festival the day before and were making their way down to Austin for two weekends of the ACL Festival but singer Gadhia, dressed in a red one-piece jumpsuit and switching between percussion, keys and guitar, showed none the worse for wear, clearly giving his vocal all and working up a sweat after just the first song.
Current single ‘Something to Believe In’ was played very early in the set (“we’re just getting started”, Gadhia would say after) and call it gutsy or just plain confident, three of the biggest songs from their 2010 debut, ‘I Got’, ‘Apartment’ and ‘Cough Syrup’ were all played relatively early in the evening as well. Gadhia mentioned their setlists changing almost nightly and while lesser bands might have been afraid of an audience exodus following, that section just succeeded in working the already fired up crowd, up even further.
‘Firelight’ showcased the band’s often hidden vocal harmonics, ‘Nothing’s Over’ had a rhythmic Talking Heads feel about it, and ‘Art Exhibit’ was a love song about finding a quiet spot in the city and is potentially the band’s most ambitiously sweeping song to date.
The title track of the new record, trippy and echoed in a Flaming Lips way ended the main set, just over an hour in, with Gadhia earlier describing its theme as about America- its beauty and grotesqueness, the hope and heartbreak that makes up its total picture.
The encore started with the new ‘Amerika’, continuing that disillusioned theme and was maybe more appropriate, hearing it played live the night after the first presidential debate was viewed by a hundred million people.
The new ‘Silvertongue’ followed, whose lyrics “Open my mouth, all the gems falling out, make you lose control” would prove a prediction for their final song, ‘My Body’ as the crowd did indeed lose their minds, jumping in place, hands swaying back and forth, and all singing along.
While the country’s current political and social climate definitely reinforces the band’s current home of the strange theme, Young the Giant shows the better side of that street; one more of hope, and a laid back chance to let your hair down and just let the music carry you.
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Ra Ra Riot |
Ra Ra Riot |
Young the Giant Setlist |
Young the Giant |
Young the Giant |
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Young the Giant at First Ave, Minneapolis (27 Sep 2016) |