Speck Mountain 
at The Hideout, April 10th, 2009

by Justin Valmassoi

The crowd was relatively sparse for Speck Mountain’s CD release show at The Hideout. On a refreshingly warm Friday night, stacked against Lucero playing at The Metro and the general desire most of us have to use Fridays as a springboard to alcohol poisoning and STDs in Wicker Park, a relatively unhyped spacerock/gospel hybrid doesn’t stand much of a chance of packing them in wall-to-wall at what is essentially a hidden bar in the industrial district.

All the better, then, for those of us who did attend. While I’m not trying to pigeonhole anyone here, it seemed like it was myself and about 60 people who do -or used to, or really want to, or maybe just did- smoke marijuana. Everyone looked like they knew their way around some incense, and knit hats outnumbered asymmetrical haircuts 20 to 1. Golden-throated Marie-Claire Balbanian took the stage in simple, utilitarian garb, peering out at friends and fans from behind a curtain of bangs parted just enough to reveal the corner of a smile and her left eye. No rock star posturing. No flashy frontwoman outfit. She didn’t even stand up. Bandmate and best friend Karl Breidrick took a seat next to her at the front of the Hideout’s stage, and it was from this casual, relaxed position they would perform for the duration of the show, flanked by keyboardist Claire Hailey and returning saxophonist Kate Walsh. It makes sense. This is not a visual band. They are musicians first and foremost, and rather than dazzle or distract they instead focus on what they do best, which is play.

For those who know the band from their previous LP (2007’s Summer Above) the improvement in quality between albums is notable. “We just had a lot better idea what we wanted this time around,” said Breidrick in a post-show interview. The evening’s set consisted almost exclusively of songs from the new record, translated from the careful arrangements and leashed soul of the studio efforts into looser, heavier experience. Balbanian’s voice is amazing, and in a live setting she uses it to greater effect than on record. Album standout ‘Backsliding’ is overflowing with soulful swagger. Her wordless singing that closes the song is rich and molasses thick. “Gospel, that’s my biggest influence,” she said later in a voice that is quick, friendly and gives no indication of the power of her full-throated stage delivery. She spoke of the recent Mavis Staples show with barely contained reverence. Bandmate Karl Breidrick was pure workmanship, curled protectively around his guitar, intently wringing notes to buoy and balance Balbanian’s voice. A former journalism major who gave up the pen for the pedal, it is apparent he made the right choice.

Some Sweet Relief’s ‘Angela’ seemed an odd lead single considering it was the one song on the album that inverted the paradigm of crystalline vocals guiding the listener through eddying currents of reverb. The prominent, liquid bass line and snare rim drumming are front and center, while the only lyrics (“Angela. Oh Angela”) are awash in harmonized fuzz. Live, however, the song is a monster. Suddenly coming off as a small-scale Spiritualized, the band lets loose in a full-on jam. Pedal effects, sax blasts, keys and Dye’s meaty drumming combine into a sprawling, sunburnt, almost danceable melee, Balbanian and Hailey’s voices swelling in harmony. It’s a rare moment of release for a band that deals primarily in restraint.

The Hideout itself seemed tailor-made for the performance, its wood paneling and stuffed fish making it feel, time and again, like someone’s basement or garage. It’s intimate. Speck Mountain is a young band, and it’s apparent they’re more comfortable in the studio than on a stage. Marie-Claire’s between song banter is minimal and Breidrick is relatively mute, so the informal feel of the venue and their casual seated stage presence gave the entire affair a campfire feel. It will be interesting to see how they handle The Darkroom on May 5th, where the atmosphere is usually more conducive to sweaty mistakes while on prescription painkillers than soaking up wave after wave of reverb.

Still, for your money Speck Mountain’s live performance is both an extension and an improvement of their studio efforts, and if you haven’t yet purchased the record, May 5th would be an excellent opportunity to do so.