Essex Green - Live Show March 24, 2001
(Knitting Factory)
I think that the Essex Green is the cat's meow. I
guess that I am a sucker for cute, catchy songs that
rarely last more that 3 minutes and in some way
involve pretty female vocals or the acoustic guitar.
The Essex Green includes these things and more--namely,
the best four part harmonies this side of the
Byrds, the best lead guitar lines this side of the
Star No Star, and the sweetest rhythm section since
Nirvana (this probably isn't the best example but
Nirvana's rhythm section was pretty sweet).
For this show at the Knitting Factory in New York
City, the Essex Green were in fine form. They played
some of their great, old hits from the Everything is
Green album and the self-titled EP and mixed in some
brand new tunes that were not quite as good (except
for one that the bass player sang that was
great). What left the biggest impression on me was
the sheer level of expertise the Essex Green has over
their instruments, be it guitar, keyboard, drums, or,
especially, voice. The four part harmonies were so
incredibly excellent, bringing back memories of the
aforementioned Byrds as well as the "Paperback Writer"
era Beatles, among others.
The Essex Green on record smacks of the 60s when
rock and roll was still new, vibrant, and fun. The
Essex Green live also smacks of the 60s in the sense
that, back then, a band
had to actually be good in the live context. In an
age when most live shows are lame attempts to
replicate the album or, even worse, carnival-esque
lip-sync contests (Britney!), the Essex Green are
one of a few modern acts that can still perform well.
What a revolutionary concept.
|
