Live Review: Ravens & Chimes at Fontanas [10.16.07]”

If you are an avid Loose Record follower (and by now, who isn’t?) you may remember that awhile back I heaped some well-deserved praise upon a little band, fronted by our very own Asher Lack, called Lost at Sea. A few things have changed for the band since the innocent days of spring 2006 – they now have a new name, new record, new band members, and well...I guess Asher still has the same haircut, though I’m sure he was wearing some new shoes or something.

Luckily, the main thing that has not changed for the band is their winning blend of grand instrumentations along with a healthy amount of toe-tapping indie pop goodness to balance out lyrics which tend to lean toward the melancholy side of the emotional spectrum.

During the show, Asher pointed out that the day marked the one-week anniversary of the release of Ravens & Chimes' debut album Reichenbach Falls (Better Looking Records). “It’s like a high school relationship”, he deadpanned. “Tomorrow I’ll buy it flowers and take it to see Superbad”. Springing for flowers on a one-week anniversary? Man, Asher must have been an excellent high school boyfriend. I think mine might have given me a can of soda to mark the occasion...?

Joking aside, the band certainly has a right to celebrate – Reichenbach Falls is a beautiful record, and though they’ve garnered comparisons to Wolf Parade, Bright Eyes, the Decemberists and the Arcade Fire (all good things); their sound comes across as distinct and fresh. Isn’t this why the CMJ Festival exists...to watch as bands come into their own? Sure, I love a good indie star-studded showcase, but I think the real treat lies in those moments spent watching as a spiffily-dressed band gives it their all on a small basement stage somewhere in Manhattan. I thought the band did a great job of translating the slow build and crescendo crashes of album opener “This is Where We Are” for the stage, and the urgency behind keyboard-driven “General Lafayette! You Are Not Alone!” was pretty much undeniably appealing.

I’ve been lucky enough to watch the band evolve over the years, and as I watched the group perform their final number (a rousing cover of Leonard Cohen’s “So Long Marianne”) it was nice to know that in the audience at Fontana’s that night, a whole new group of music fans got a chance to discover Ravens & Chimes for the first time.


[Photos by Mina K]