So went to the Knitting Factory in NYC last night to check out Murder by Death, even managed to arranged female companionship for the outing so it was a solid night no matter how I sliced it. Three bands played, Metal Hearts, Langhorne Slim and Murder by Death.
Metal Hearts opened...some of their stuff I really got into, others just left me going meh. If I had to give a 'file under' category here, it would be a strange fusion of Morphine and Placebo. Lyrically they tend to more like Placebo on most of the stuff I heard them play. When they broke out into something a little more off the beaten indie music path...Morphine. Musically more like Morphine, though not as waspy as Mark Sandman's three string bass, it still had a really nice dark sound to it at times with the sax mellowing things out. When the sax got put down, it didn't seem to flow as well. I freely admit however I was and am a dedicated Morphine fan.
Langhorn Slim stole the show. You don't see that sort of charisma very often, let alone someone with such infectious mannerisms that you can't help but start stomping around to the music. Go listen to Led Zeppelin's Bron y Aur stomp, that sort of 'I don't care what my musical preference is THIS song demands I dance and stomp around!' Pretty much all of Langhorne Slims music falls into that category, a little Americana, a little folksy, very rock and roll, very 'get off your ass and have fun'. Extra credit for all the Jersey references (201 represent yo!) and just being an awesome person.
Murder by Death had a really awesome set, and kept this dark edge going, never straying over that edge but definately toeing it. It had that peculiar sense of weight, something that isn't quite so dark as Nick Cave (or perhaps less flowery in its ambitions?) but just hits you. Having a electric cello in the mix really helps add to the feel. Overall it was a great live show, I picked up their CD and Langhorne Slim's, going to see how they sound when pressed and not live. If the MbD portion of this review seems a tad light...well they were sufficiently inspiring to the evenings companionship to induce some pleasant makeouts, as people dressed in too much black and combat boots are wont to do in the face of such tunes ^.^
