Live Concert Review-Bear In Heaven, Freelance Whales, Mariage Blanc-Brillobox-1.16.10

By Kevin Meehan
Published: January 18, 2010
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For a place as small as the Brillobox a sell-out crowd is not all that impressive. What is impressive is the amount of quality shows being held at a place that size. On any given night there’s a chance that you can satisfy your curiosity and see a great show by a band that you maybe have never heard of before. These shows might be attended by only a few people but that’s probably because the band playing is unknown not because they’re not good. In the case of the show this past Saturday headlined by Brooklyn band Bear In Heaven and featuring Freelance Whales and  Mariage Blanc, though, everything came together really well; there was good music played by bands with notoriety at a house packed with adoring fans.

The first band, Mariage Blanc, a local group , got the sold-out show started with an upbeat set  consisting mostly of new songs that they readily admitted theyhadn’t gotten around to recording yet. Despite the fact that that all but guaranteed no familiarity with what was being heard, the crowd as a whole seemed to be enjoying the slower, mellower, less punkish ska sound complete with the occasional trumpet accompaniment. But what started out as a strong set slowly started to sound the same by the end of the show and there were a few too many “oohs”, “ahs” and “ba da ba bas” in places where even a clichéd lyric would be a valuable addition to the song. Still, their upbeat sound was a worthy warm-up for the second, and in some eyes the best, act of the night.Freelance Whales has not been a band for very long, having only formed in late 2008 according to their website/myspace and what not. In the relatively short time they’ve been together, though, they have developed a solid and distinct sound thanks in part to their use of uncommon instruments like harmoniums and glockenspiels that band members rotate between and also to the harmonized vocals that are given added depth by both male and female voices. If you’re looking for another band to use as a frame of reference for their sound the first thing that comes to mind is Postal Service although that’s just something to be thrown around in casual conversation if need be. The best thing to do would be to pick up their album 'Weathervanes,' or better yet, to see them live and form your own opinion. If you choose the latter you will no doubt be impressed because, like most bands, there’s just a little something extra you get from a live performance that doesn’t come across on a studio recording. Sure listening to a CD can suffice but after hearing songs like “Ghosting," “Starring,” “Hannah,” and “We Could Be Friends” live and seeing all the energy and emotion each band member puts into the performance and the enjoyment they seem to be getting from playing them, it’s very difficult to not become captivated. It will also become clear why a band like Bear In Heaven would want to bring them along on tour, even if they don’t have completely similar styles.

Bear in Heaven, now touring in support of their 2009 album 'Beast Rest Forth Mouth,' definitely employ a darker vibe than either of the other two bands at this show. That’s not to say that they’re depressing but simply that they play in lower keys and have a lot more ambient noise creating a deeper, ominous, almost surrounding, feeling. Comparisons have been made to bands like MGMT, which is slightly alright if you’re talking about songs like “Lovesick Teenager” – a highlight of Saturday’s show - although even that song has a harder driving backbone than anything by MGMT thanks to the drum work of John Stickney. Such comparison should not be given too much weight anyway since the best bands are those who have a sound all their own and end up being copied by other bands. Something like this happening with Bear In Heaven is not out of the question. They are better established, having a three-album discography as well as experience touring internationally. The experience certainly shows when the play songs like “You Do You” and “Drug A Wheel” both of which feature layer upon layer of sounds. It’s one thing to write a song like these over time with the ability to edit and fine-tune everything and an entirely different thing to actually pull off an accurate performance. The fact that Bear In Heaven was willing and able to tackle such a beast - and probably do likewise night after night on their tours in whatever part of the world they’re in – speaks volumes of their talent and makes them an act worth seeing in any venue; large or small.