Eagleowl – Live, The Scottish Scullery Edinburgh, Saturday 16th August 2008
If you want to criticise Eagleowl it is relatively easy to do so – in fact it just requires one word: dirge. When I first saw them the flirted relatively frequently with this particular failing, although I don’t really think they ever quite succumbed to it.
Over the last year or so I think I can safely say that pretty much every performance has been a steady improvement on the last. Each time the morose strings seemed more frequently punctuated with lush harmonies, and each time the mood of the set fluctuated and flickered just that little bit more.
This particular evening was the night of their EP launch, which I’ll review in a day or so once I’ve got to know it a little better, and it was like watching a butterfly emerge from a coccoon. They were confident, absolutely in their stride, and even a little jolly at times. Their music is showing a lot more variation of pace these days, and this seems to have brought the disparate elements of their sound alive, bringing in the various components only when they are really needed to make an impact, rather than their previous omnipresence.
Bart’s growling, sulky guitar has its lighter moments (still not many of course, that would be just plain wrong), the bow on the double bass takes a rest from time to time, the uke brings a little cheekiness, and this all works beautifully well. Rob St. John made a guest appearance on harmonium here and there as well, which added to the depth of the sound. There’s even an appearance by some scratchy electronic textures on Motherfucker, which made me laugh out loud until the loveliness of the song promptly shut me up again.
The sound was gorgeous as well, and I don’t know how much was down to the high, vaulted church hall and how much down to Damon, the sound guy, but there was a richness and a warmth to Eagleowl that I haven’t heard at shittier places like The Ark. For my money, this was the best performance I’ve seen by a band who are steadily improving, and really look to be capable of producing some gorgeous music over the next couple of years. Exciting times indeed.
Eagleowl – Motherfucker
Oh I’m really excited by this one. And I think I may have the true honor of being one of the first North Americans to get the EP as well. I look forward to the Toad Session.
mmmm.
?
I think Euan just found a half-eaten Mars bar down the back of the sofa.
Hmm, Mrs. Toad thinks it’s because the review comes off as less than positive, and it wasn’t meant to. I liked Eagleowl an awful lot the first time I saw them, but they are a cut above that now. Saturday was phenomenal.
Well, at least you didn’t call them shit.
i just felt that this was a bit of an mmmmm review. the very first time I saw eagleowl at the wee red bar I thought they were awesome. the word “dirge” should never be used to describe them and I would argue with anyone that they are as fine as any other band that this city has produced. sound issues are always going to be there with them live but that’s usually more to do with the sound engineers not able to deal with the instruments than the band themselves. The song, “for the the thoughts you never had” is as fine as anything I’ve heard by a scottish band for a long time. bart is a mate and it’s easy to say I’m biased but I felt this about them before I even knew the man. I agree that they have got better – but I’d say that’s more the quality of song writing than their live sound.
Well you listen to generally dirgier music than I do in general – I’d say I was way more of a pop whore than yourself – so I guess that’s not surprising.
I don’t know, I think if they were to play bowed bass, fiddle and grumbly guitar songs for a whole set you’d have a dirge. Not that they do this, obviously, but their sound definitely needs the plucked bass to appear from time to time, just to bring a more explicit beat, and I think the ukulele makes a big difference just because the sounds are in the upper register. It fills it out a bit, although it’s far from needed in every song.
Without the little bits of uke and even that electro-scratching on Motherfucker the only thing that would fill out those upper registers would be Clarissa’s voice, which would leave her with a lot of work to do.
So whilst I love the deeper slower songs, they definitely need the presence of the lighter ones just to give the audience – be it for the gigs or the records – some surprises, and some sort of emotional ambiguity. So yes, I agree, the songwriting is crucial, because this set had a lot more variety of pace to it than previous sets I have seen and I think that is a very good thing. Some of the new songs are brilliant – some of their best stuff.
I concur with the comment on the new songs. and you are indeed more of a pop tart than me. i personally think that the fact that they mix up lead vocals is one of the reasons they are becoming better and better. they have mixed things up beautifully. like anything, a pop band shouldn’t play up tempo songs for a whole set – unless it’s 30 minutes or so long therwise it would get a little boring. same applies to slow, dark music. needs to be a mix. i think they do that better than most.
Was it a Pop-Tart that Euan found down the back of the sofa, not a Mars bar?
I think it was an illegal immigrant forcing down house prices.
The dirge controversy aside, I loved the gig, and I’m glad you made the point about the sound being so good – for all three Retreat! gigs I’ve attended (The Pictish Trail, Withered Hand and this one) it has been bloody amazing and it really made a difference. Jonny and Kenny in particular, because it was just the two of them, sounded incredible. I reckon it’s a combination of expertise and great acoustics.
I so wish I had been around for the Kenny/Jenny/Pictish gig. And the Wee Rogue one.