The
Northcote and Dave Hause reviews will probably bleed into each other quite a
bit. They were a good match, but the primary difference for me was that I had
listened to Dave Hause quite a bit, which is what brought me there, and had
never heard of Northcote.
In
preparing for the concert I had been listening to Northcote via Spotify this
week, and I didn't feel like I had a grasp on it. Between the doors opening and
the show starting there was one other performer, Steve Nobles, and he mentioned
watching Northcote on Youtube. That is probably a better introduction. While
there are not as many songs, you get to hear his voice through the parts of a
brief documentary, and see some of his projects, and his personality.
Seeing him
live is where everything coalesced. First of all, just that it was him and not
them was unexpected, because I really thought I saw a picture of a four man
band somewhere. Matt Goud is the "him", and he explained that when
playing around Canada he had lineups with different
sizes, but it was too expensive to do that for the extended tour, which makes a
lot of sense.
Suddenly
there was a face and name, but also the personality comes through more in
person, and I can't overstate how powerful that is. Initially I was thinking
that Goud has a big personality, but that implies some things that weren't
exactly right, and then I realized that he reminded me of the Ghost of
Christmas Present. Dickens described the ghost as apparently changing size so
that he fit quite comfortably whether it was a giant banquet hall or a small
hut, and Goud is kind of like that. He seems pretty tall, but it is more the
adaptability and the ease. I believe that whatever the size of the hall, he
would adapt to fill it, and he would be comfortable doing so.
Having now
heard the songs live, they took more distinctive shapes listening again. That's
not to say that you should wait to listen until you can hear him live, but I
think it's worth checking out the Youtube channel.
Here are
some thoughts from the CD I bought last night, Northcote, which has been
playing all day.
The intro
to "How Can You Turn Around" immediately sounds like you are heading
into a good road trip sound track. There are certainly downbeats, and there is
a very personal feeling to them. The use of names on "Burn Right Past Them
All" and "Speak Freely" feels intensely real. I don't know if it
is because of his talking about his small town upbringing last night that the
sense of isolation rings through at times, or if it would anyway. For all that,
it is not a down album. "Only One Who Knows" ends on a feeling of
joyful collaboration. That all being said, I think "Drive Me Home" is
my favorite.
Worth
checking out. Music is available through iTunes and Amazon.
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