Concert Review
Drop Electric Live at Artisphere
Arlington, VA • May 16th, 2015
By Jackson Sneed
Having previously heard several tracks from Drop Electric’s latest album, Lost in Decay, it is evident that the delightful loudness and eclectic textures of the band’s studio arrangements translate well to the stage for their all-to-infrequent DC area live shows. With Lost in Decay’s long awaited release slated for this Saturday’s show, one would expect a straightforward concert featuring a play-through of the new album and the ubiquitous “We have copies for sale at the merch table!!” between every song, right? Well, not quite.
Always looking to explore new territory, the band decided to build their latest performance around the debut of five never-before-played tracks and a newly-added horn section. However, the group featured only one song from their album Lost in Decay. And, after talking to several of the band’s longtime fans at the show, it actually makes perfect sense. Since Drop Electric’s early days, the only constants in their sound have been progression and experimentation. The seemingly “out-of-left-field” set list is really just good ole Drop Electric pushing forward, as always.
This past Saturday, the soon-to-be-closed Artisphere (Coming Soon: a domed Sweetgreen and luxury condos?!?) played host to what will likely be Drop Electric’s last show at the strange and wonderful venue. Which is a shame; because the band’s perfectly-arranged discordance comes off beautifully in the sold-out Dome Theatre. In addition, a revamped light show and a “planetarium-like” experience featuring heady video arrangements on the dome, only added to the feeling of immersion that one can expect when catching Drop Electric.The visuals are created by the band’s members and handled skillfully by From Block 2 Block’s Désirée Bayonet.
The show also featured opening act Laughing Man and an art installation from audio storytelling collective From Block 2 Block inspired by the music from Lost in Decay. Then the lights went down as Drop Electric took to the stage with a middle-eastern inspired introduction. As longtime Drop Electric member Neel Singh (guitar) picked up his bow, the band entered into the dramatic D.C.-area debut of “Zora’s Hijra.” Alan Kayanan’s (percussion, drums, keys) steady drum work powered the song through to its rollicking peak and gorgeous, mellow outro. The Dome Theatre lends itself to sensory deprivation (in a very good way), leaving the crowd in a trance-like state as they applauded the opening song of the set.
“Waking Death,” the first of five brand new pieces unveiled at the show, followed with a meditative sequence that featured some of the psychedelic qualities that the band has utilized in recent years. Switching instruments again (which always elicits an instinctive “Walfredo!” reaction from me), the band entered into the powerful and familiar “Your Silence Will Not Protect You” from Lost in Decay. The song, which was premiered by Pure Volume on March 5th and has almost 24,000 plays on Soundcloud, features vocals written by former member Kristina Reznikov.
The next two first-timers, “Quit” and “Leave me Alone,” included excellent work by the newly incorporated horn section. Joe Herrera (trumpet; also of The Funk Ark) and Christian Hizon (trombone; featured on Future Islands latest album) added to the band’s already full sound. The calm beginning of “Quit” saw new guitarist Steve Smith and Singh sit down with Navid Marvi on bass. As Anya Mizani’s (vocals, guitar, keys) lyrics kicked in, the song began to display Drop Electric’s trademark textural crescendos. The horns made for a particularly gigantic climax to “Leave me Alone.”
The fourth debut, “Time Like Water,” was certainly the ambient highlight of the night. Blissful sections reminiscent of Phish’s “You Enjoy Myself” (as opposed to Phish’s similarly named but less fortunate opus “Time Turns Elastic”) were punctuated by lingering vocals from Mizani. The crowd enjoyed these poignant segments, as a “sing-along” vibe is always fun when done well.
Alternatively, “The Prophet’s Bloody Feet” served as the evil, flamboyant, and disturbingly danceable highlight of the evening. A sampling of a prayer at the beginning of the song served to incorporate some of the hypnotizing themes heard throughout the show. However, this was all blown to bits by the heavy drum work of founding member Ramtin Arablouei and the nicely arranged guitar and keyboard parts that helped to create an incredibly heavy, middle-eastern inspired jam. The end of “Prophet” devolved perfectly into an all-out percussion fest, easily one of the most audience-pleasing moments of the night. With Singh’s Fishman-esque cowbell work and Alan Kayanan’s channeling of Michael Travis on the doumbek, the performance was evocative of something from Bonnaroo 2004 (in a brilliant and enjoyable way).
The show’s dose of dissonant energy continued into the finale, “Lose Everything,” which the band had debuted in Brooklyn earlier this spring. Navid Marvi’s screaming vocals ended the show on a high note and left a lasting impression. As the band members walked off the stage to a symphony of feedback, Singh reentered and dropped to his knees to indulge the crowd with his trademark bow destruction, a staple of a good Drop Electric closer.
After promoting Lost in Decay through a highly successful IndieGoGo campaign, the band clearly took a risk in debuting seven new pieces in front of a sold-out hometown crowd. The risk was handsomely rewarded, as the audience was treated to a highly experimental show while the band was able to continue doing what they do best: evolve.
With several upcoming shows this summer, including a June 11th date at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn and a long awaited appearance at the mid-Atlantic’s favorite jamband jubilee, All Good Music Festival (July 9-11th, Berry Hill Farm, West Virginia), one would expect many of these new tracks to remain in the band’s live repertoire. However, don’t be surprised if Drop Electric has an entire show’s worth of new material by then.