[Photo by Emma Pierce]
I arrived at the Tractor Tavern towards the end of of Ethan Gruska’s set after mixing up the Sunday bus schedule, despite being a frequent rider for over a decade, but that’s another story (too boring to tell). I made my way as close to the stage as possible, sliding around couples slow-dancing and staring intensely into each others’ eyes as Gruska played his single, “Reoccurring Dream” (a song about romantic hesitations) off his debut solo album, Slowmotionary. He closed out his set with a real heart-lifter called “The Valley,” which chronicles his experiences growing up in Los Angeles, his parents’ divorce, and thinking about an ex-girlfriend all while preparing for his own wedding. Gruska’s lyrics gave meaning to mundane situations and experiences, and his voice was smooth as butter, reminding me of a mix between a young Don McLean and Joni Mitchell (specifically during the Blue period).
Agnes Obel and band (Charlotti, Kristina, and Isolde) came on stage dressed all in white to play the title track from her new album, Citizen of Glass. The name was taken from the German term gläserner mensch, which is used when an individual in a state has lost all his or her privacy. It also alludes to the transparent nature of being a musician, often drawing from very personal experiences and putting it out into the world for unknown consumers. After playing “Dorian” from her previous album, Aventine, Obel appealed to the crowd by mentioning that Seattle is her favorite city in North America. Complementing this city to a sold-out crowd of Seattleites with exuberant pride for it (plus alcohol) is a surefire way to ensure an engaged and respectful audience.
Several songs throughout the night featured Belgian percussionist Isolde Lasoen playing haunting refrains on the flugelhorn, an instrument whose timbre falls somewhere between a trumpet and a French horn, which sent shivers down my spine. During the instrumental track, “Red Virgin Soil,” the horn was beautifully eerie, as if sending a warning. You could hear a pin drop, or ice cubes rattling in a glass during most of the set, which is rare at any show (not to mention at the Tractor Tavern).
Charlotte Danhier and Kristina Koropecki looped their dueling cellos live, filling the room with so much sound it was hard to believe only four musicians were playing. This was especially true during the final track of the (official) set, “Stretch Your Eyes,” which was written in response to the results of the Danish election and political situation in 2015, which Obel compared to the political climate here in the United States. The cellos, which you can hear in the video below, slide between dissonant riffs, playing glissando after glissando, portamento after portamento. At times I closed my eyes, listening to the intensity of the instrumental sections and combinations of notes, and felt like I was in some intriguing, dark circus dream.
Danhier and Koropecki also played slightly obscure instruments like the mellotron and the autoharp, respectively, which can be heard on tracks like “Trojan Horses,” a song about paranoia; “Mary;” and “Familiar,” which also features some vocal manipulation.
Obel’s piano prowess, chilling vocals, and impressive compositions made for one of the most intriguing and captivating performances I’ve seen this year. She left the crowd with a promise to return, and a snippet of advice: “It can be good to tell your secrets, to let go of your secrets in a song.”
Agnes Obel: Website | Facebook | Twitter
EMMA PIERCE | It was Yo-Yo Ma-velous | KXSU Music Reporter
Set-list:
Citizen of Glass
Dorian
It’s Happening Again
Golden Green
Trojan Horses
Familiar
Instrumental – First time playing this live
Philharmonics
Fuel to Fire
Run Cried the Crawling
Red Virgin Soil
Mary
The Curse
Stone
Stretch Your Eyes
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Smoke & Mirrors
Riverside
On Powdered Ground