CONCERT REVIEW: Margot & the Nuclear So and So's @ the First Unitarian Church 4/12

Why this band is still playing in church basements (even if it is the First Unitarian) is beyond me.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s @ the First Unitarian Church 4/12

POSTED: Friday, April 13, 2012, 3:30 PM

Filed Under: Music Concert Review

(Courtney Sexton)

Why this band is still playing in church basements (even if it is the First Unitarian) is beyond me. Since forming in 2004, along with a smattering of singles and EPs, they’ve released five full-length albums, each one stronger than the last, and in 2008 were the musical guests on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Generally categorized as chamber pop/orchestral rock, the band’s sound has evolved (particularly for their latest album, Rot, Gut, Domestic) into pretty gritty rock tinged with something of the ethereal. Last night’s “As Tall As Cliffs” (Not Animal), for example, was a much harder version than you’ll find on the album. It may have something to do with the overhaul of members that took place in 2009, and the exit of Emily Watkins. Without her vocals, Margot loses a bit of the sweet sadness that, in my opinion, was a nice, subtle complimentary layer of soft beneath the cut-into-you reverb we know they are capable of.

Nevertheless, front man Richard Edwards was mesmerizing throughout the whole set, and Erik Kang brought it on the violin. “Skeleton Key” was a crowd-pleaser, as was the acoustic “Broadripple is Burning” (listen below), which did recall that earlier haunting melodic sound I associate with the band. Fitting for the location, the show ended with an encore set of “The Devil” and “Christ.” Silence overtook the crowd for “Christ” as the rawness of Edwards’s voice paired with a chillingly beautiful piano solo. Somewhere between Jesus Christ breaks your heart/Every night when he doesn’t come and But you break my heart/Every night when you fall apart, I actually almost started crying.

Here's a clip.

Posted by Courtney Sexton @ 3:30 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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