Le Misanthrope @ La Comedie Francaise

Last night's rendition of Molieres' Le Misanthrope at the Comedie Francaise was the 2286th performance since the addition of the play to the repertoire of France's only national theatre in 1680. Plays at the Comedie Francaise are typically an interesting mix of classical and modern with always an emphasis on extensive dramaturgical research and almost always incredible sets. At least the plays I have seen there all fell under this description in one way or another.

Lukas Hemleb, German director of the current production, stayed in the confines of a minimalist design, with gorgeous period costumes and simple wash lighting. The interesting part, at first glance, was the use of scrims as backdrops, causing a transparent wall effect when backlighting was used. The excellent lighting and set choices, paired with the sudden appearances of cast members at given moments behind the walls gave the play a feeling of the walls having ears and even becoming another entity present in the scenography. The only set pieces were two short cushioned stools which were at different moments sat upon, kicked across the room, used as blocks or walls, and in one breathtaking moment, taken and thrown upside down upon the stage in anger. While it is easy to incorporate everything present when the set is so minimalist, the use of the surroundings and the blocking made the stage often seem a much more complete image. The integrated element of dance made for a smooth and diplomatic play, although, having seen and read it, I would have to say it is much more of a commentary than a comedy.

I admire the fact that the director was not afraid to make his actors take time and properly deliver each line, and allow for pauses; however, the play ran on so long that I was having a hard time paying attention by the end. All in all, I would say that this staging of Le Misanthrope was a success, if not, as subtitled, a comedy. The few funny lines were often muttered or flattened by an excessive pause and the rather obnoxious laughter of the characters was certainly not contagious. I would have recommended a speed through or two to put some life back into the melodramatic staging.

« Non, mon cœur à présent vous déteste, Et ce refus lui seul fait plus que tout le reste. »

Hissing Fauna: Definitely the Destroyer.

Of Montreal destroyed me last night. Honestly, I don't think I've ever danced so hard at a concert. After mutually convincing and being convinced to pay the (gulp!) 25 euro ticket price, three friends and I headed off to see the Atlanta, Georgia based band at Le Bataclan. The plan was to miss the 6pm DJ sets, show up at around 7:30 and see some cool stuff. However, the Paris forecast decided to kick in and live up to it's prediction of "rain." Understatement of the century. I have never gotten so wet so fast. And after decided that standing dripping for several hours was not the best idea ever, we grabbed a metro back to my house, dried off and headed out, arriving a bit after 8:30, grinned, and made our way into the rather large concert hall for almost all of Syd Matters' opening set. I'd seen him open for Yann Tiersen; he played a good, largely English set both times, and his band was very solid, and very obviously adored by his Parisian friends. So when the curtains closed, the lights came on, and quite a few people filtered out, we got a little worried.

Luckily, Of Montreal does not disappoint. They had NOT already played, in fact they came on and played about an hour and a half of the strongest, sexiest, sleekest indie pop on the market. And even walking onstage with a mostly empty bottle of wine, Kevin Barnes played the most confident and solid show I'd seen... perhaps it's just the Paris vibe--Northampton, Massachusetts isn't be the most inspiring place to play, comparatively. Also, between the first time I saw them and this third time, their discography has grown respectably- particularly with the brilliant addition of Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? from which most of the nights' set was taken. Complete with delicious, winged costumes and just a generally sparkly appearance, Barnes and Co. put on a delightful, sweaty, squeal-inducing show.

Highlights included... who am I kidding? Every song was amazing. A near-perfect setlist (I prefered to hear the new stuff, as their other shows were mostly Sunlandic Twins, and Satanic Panic... however, this show was pretty much entirely Hissing Fauna) and the high energy (Kevin on a stepladder for Gronlandic Edit, crazy dancing for The Past is a Grosteque Animal... which ended in a make-out session with some front row girl) made for a very entertaining evening.

The moral of the story is: Of Montreal are with 25 euros. Even in the rain.

Calla better have "Strength in Numbers" after "Collisions"...

You're just going to have to forgive the bad puns and ridiculousness. Or stop reading. Just a side note.

Calla's latest album, Strength in Numbers, certainly does it's best to give you that impression. Much more "mainstream" than their previous albums... less weird, more straightforward guitar/drum combos with Aurelio Valle's dark brooding vocals casting a shadow that might just make you "Stand Paralyzed" here being the definition of "mainstream." This doesn't mean it's not good, however. It's a strong album, albeit one I often turn on when I have to get something done... determinedly. With song titles like: "Sanctify" and "Malicious Manner" what you hear might not be such a surprise, in truth this album might make a good horror movie soundtrack... going down a darkened hall, turning corners, the camera not letting you see anything before the characters do so that you grip the edge of the couch and maybe even pull your feet up. It would be fair to accuse Strength in Numbers of moodiness of melancholy, but in a dark, mysterious, and rather sexy manner. Definitely has it's fair share of stuck in the head moments, but don't expect any sappy, poppy, diabetes-sweet notes out of this one; as if the cover didn't already give you that information. While not an absolutely perfect album (the tracks all run together after awhile) the lazy smog of Calla is present (and strong) in Numbers.

Rooney @ La Boule Noire

May 16th
I was biased about this concert, let me start by putting that out there. A friend decided not to go the day before the show and gave me the ticket a few hours before... I like Rooney, but they certainly aren't one of my top bands. Also, after waiting an hour an a half after door time for the concert to start, the lack of opening band and mere hour of playing time were all factors in the experience, of course. All that said, I had a surprisingly good time. I was reminded rather strongly of OK Go, the first time I saw them, several years ago... much less well known than they are now, and therefore a little bit more pressured to do well to make it for themselves. On the other hand, stating that these two new songs (actually, the new songs were quite good live) are located on your myspace page might not be the most subtle way to get your point across. It also isn't really the best idea to tell your audience to clap and sing before you have. Definite points for a band that works well together live after a cancelled show in Germany the night before. I hope their self promotion works out for them, the upcoming album seems to have potential.

The Only Reminder You'll Ever Need

Feist's, of course. Her album The Reminder is 50 minutes of pure distilled nostalgia, and I mean that in the best way possible. From the opening track in which she apologizes ("I'm sorry...two words I always think... after you're gone") to the very end track "This is How My Heart Behaves" you are allowed to bathe in the beauty of Leslie Feist's vocals, simplicity and elegance of the music and just general goodness of Canada's coolest ever musician. Also a member of Broken Social Scene and two-time Juno Award winner (for her previous album, Let It Die), Feist has toured with Peaches and done gorgeous guest vocals for the Kings of Convenience. The Reminder is certainly her most mature album to date, it's gentle and cuddly but never falls flat. It seems light and effortless, and the modest arrangements always let Feist's voice ease the song the way she wants it to go. While brilliant the whole way through, The Reminder really gets going with a Nina Simone cover; "Sea Lion Woman," followed by the highly Broken Social Scene-like "Past in Present," really gets the album going. Possibly the most purely FUN song on the album, "One Two Three Four" is three minutes of "teenage hopes," enough to inspire a rather adorable dance video. My personal favorite, "The Limit to Your Love" is a slow, hauntingly lovely ballad proving that Feist loves you more than you love her. As if that was possible.