SONGS FROM THE NEW ALBUM HOMELAND & OTHER STORIES
(le) poisson rouge
158 Bleecker St.
Tuesday, July 13, $35, 10:00
212-228-4854
www.laurieanderson.com
www.myspace.com/lepoissonrougenyc
This fall, innovative multimedia artist Laurie Anderson will perform the New York premiere of her 2010 Vancouver Olympics commission, DELUSION, as part of the BAM Next Wave Festival. But Anderson fans don’t have to wait until then to see the experimental guru, who will be celebrating the release of her latest album, HOMELAND (Nonesuch, July 2010), with a special intimate concert at le poisson rouge on July 13. Consisting of Anderson’s trademark violin-based soundscapes and talk-singing, the record features such poetic tales as “Transitory Life,” “Strange Perfumes,” “Flow,” and “Bodies in Motion.” HOMELAND’s guest roster includes Lou Reed, Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons, and the great Kieran Hebden, also known as Four Tet; the CD/DVD package comes with a thirty-six-page book and a forty-two-minute art documentary.
Laurie Anderson featured songs from her new album, HOMELAND, at intimate show at (le) poisson rouge (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Update: Laurie Anderson burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the surprise success of “O Superman,” an experimental song dedicated to composer Jules Massenet that had all the markings of a one-off novelty hit. But in fact Anderson was a well-connected innovative performance artist who was soon presenting large, multimedia productions around the world, including “United States I-IV,” “Songs and Stories for Moby Dick,” and “Homeland,” incorporating stunning visuals and unique instrumentation (tape-bow violin, talking stick, and various voice filters) into her complex narratives. At the center of it all, however, outside of all the bells and whistles, is the music itself, as she proved at an intimate packed house at (le) poisson rouge on July 13. For ninety minutes, Anderson let the music do the talking, playing a stripped-down version of her brand-new album, HOMELAND, with Material’s Bill Laswell on bass, Rob Burger on keyboards and accordion, Antibalas’s Colin Stetson on various saxes and other brass, and a three-man team supplying backing vocals. Playing keyboards and violin and regularly channeling alter ego Fenway Bergamot, Anderson, in her trademark white shirt and thin black tie, delighted the crowd with splendid versions of “Only an Expert,” “The Beginning of Memory,” “Another Day in America,” “Falling,” and other tunes from HOMELAND, as well as bonus songs “Pictures and Things” and “Mambo and Bling,” commenting on the state of the nation, delving into politics, the economy, environmentalism, and other societal concerns. After the main set, Anderson came out for two encores, each time performing a virtuoso violin instrumental, then departing with a big smile on her face. (You can find more photos from the show on our flickr site here.)