| Not Just Preaching to the Choir |
|
Sound Fix Thursday November 15, 2007 110 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn 8pm 718-388-8090 The Knitting Factory Friday November 16, 2007 74 Leonard St. (between B'way and Church) 212-219-3132 Doors open at 6:30pm Admission: $5 Union Hall Saturday November 17, 2007 702 Union St (@5th Avenue) Brooklyn 718-638-4400 Doors open at 7:30pm Admission: $8 Scotland Yard Gospel Choir is Touring Behind Great New Record Scotland Yard Gospel Choir jams onstage at Union Hall in Brooklyn  SYGC’s easygoing performance style and stage banter is reminiscent of the Mekons; as it turns out, the inimitable Sally Timms plays on the album and is featured on the back of the CD booklet. Three songs in to SYGC’s killer set, Einhorn cut the middle finger on his right hand, regularly showing the crowd his bleeding digit. Judging by the amount of hemoglobin he was losing — evidenced by growing bloodstains on his guitar — it is unlikely he did it on purpose to celebrate the band’s signing to Bloodshot Records. The new record is a gorgeous homage to ’80s Manchester northern soul. From the opening notes of “Aspidistra,” SGYC reaches out and sucks you into their enticing world of pure pop pleasure. Einhorn lets his obsessions show on “Obsessions,” as he spends his time “whiting out the Bible,” fighting off his “fear and resentments.” The song ends with him singing, “I spent my life trying to be easy / to please the ones that loved me / to win the hearts of everyone I met riding on the train.” Ellen O’Hayer takes over lead vocals on several tracks, including the hauntingly beautiful “In Hospital,” the saddest song about death since Van Morrison’s “TB Sheets”; trying to deal with the loss of a loved one, her tender voice admits that “it’s fear / it’s the fear of being all alone /it’s fear and it’s anger / it’s regret and it’s longing / and fear.” But not all of the songs are so dark and gloomy. “I Never Thought I Could Feel This Way for a Boy” is the most charming song of its kind since Jill Sobule’s “I Kissed a Girl,” and SYGC even brings out a horn section for the bouncy “Then and Not a Moment Before.” Elia and the band will be pulling off a triple play this week, performing songs from the new disc and their earlier I Bet You Say That to All the Boys at Sound Fix Records on Thursday, the Knitting Factory on Friday, and Union Hall on Saturday. As good as their records are, their live show is that much better. You can find out more about Scotland Yard Gospel Choir at myspace.com/scotlandyardgospelchoir. {mos_ri}
|