Highs, lows of indie rock on display at Metro
By TIM BODONY
Scene Music Critic
So much of independent rock's appeal comes from its defiance of "the rules." An artist presenting a vision on a stage means more to indie rock fans than flashing lights and album sales. But in their quest to blaze new paths through the music world, just how far are indie rockers willing to go to assert their independence, and who will follow along?
The two indie rock heavy weights on stage at Chicago's Metro Theatre on Feb. 9, Pedro the Lion and Low, provided very different answers to these questions. Both bands presented their music with a naked minimalism, relying on simple harmonies instead of elaborate compositions. But their motivations seemed worlds apart. While Low appeared to keep its music simple for simplicity's sake alone, Pedro the Lion made use of it as a means to a greater end.
Pedro the Lion is the brainchild of David Bazan, who played all the instruments on the band's latest release "Winners Never Quit," but brought a drummer and keyboardist along for the tour. From the moment Bazan stepped to the mic, his nine-song set was a gripping study in contradictions, telling the tale of a man with strong convictions who always seems to draw the short straw. In between songs, the tall and muscular Bazan resembled a lion of the cowardly variety, timidly greeting the crowd and professing that he feels "out of his league" on the Metro stage.
But once the music started, Bazan showed tremendous command, rhythmically driving away at his electric guitar as he cathartically sang of loneliness, desperation and loss. His words resonate with anyone who embraces the loser within, yet still seeks salvation and escape to a better place. This might mean "escaping the trouble of the present age" by hiding at the bottom of the sea ("Of Up and Coming Monarchs"), or finding solace in the Gospel promise that in heaven the last will be first, with Jesus handing out "a crown of diamonds for a race well run" ("Slow and Steady Wins the Race").
But most compellingly, Bazan's songs illustrate the rocky and crooked path leading to this point, obstructed by the infidelities of loved ones and unfulfilled ambition. In his presentation of these songs to an audience, Bazan simply wants to share his stories with others, and though his messages are often bleak, the music is not a perpetual dirge. Bazan leads Pedro the Lion through a full range of emotions, sometimes screaming with anger and sometimes whispering with hope, but always forthright and honest.
The Minnesota minimalist trio Low, on the other hand, presented music that was far more contrived and bounded.
One can deduce the essence of the band simply from its name, or more accurately, by placing an "s" in front of it. Low's modus operandi is to create music that flows like molasses, and in doing so bring out all of the stark beauty that faster music skims over. They employ very little instrumentation (one guitar, one bass, two drums and a cymbal) and drive their songs with simple vocal harmonies and chord structures. An emotional release of all the stored-up tension never arrives, and as songs appear to climb towards a peak, the band cuts them back down into a valley. The volume was so soft at times that the cash registers at the bar were by far the loudest sound in the theatre.
Could there be brilliance behind all this eccentricity? Perhaps, but the utter lack of energy produces more yawns than quizzical reflections. Avoiding the traps and clichés of pop music is one thing, but other innovative minimalist groups like Godspeed You Black Emperor, not to mention Pedro the Lion, manage to do it without sacrificing aggression and explosion. They take listeners on a wild roller coaster ride as opposed to a monotonous walk around the block.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, February 13, 2001
