Au Revoir Simone headlines trio of Brooklyn bands at the Highline Ballroom
Highline Ballroom
431 West 16th St. between Ninth & Tenth Aves.
Thursday, January 7, $15-$20, 7:00
212-414-5994
www.highlineballroom.com
www.myspace.com/aurevoirsimone
In 2007, Heather D’Angelo, Erika Foster, and Annie Hart delighted us with THE BIRD OF MUSIC, but their follow-up, the brand-new, stripped-down STILL NIGHT, STILL LIGHT (Our Secret Record Company, May 2009), took them to the next level. Through twelve intimate songs, the three keyboardists sing about love and loss, backed primarily by a drum machine (and some live drumming by Ben McConnell and Otto Hauser on a few songs). “I’m moving on / I hope you’re coming with me / ’cause I’m not strong / without you,” they sing on the gently pulsating “Shadows,” which beats like an aching heart. On the stark “The Last One,” they declare, “I’m the one to forget / the one you won’t regret / So let me go.” And as clear as “Take Me as I Am” and the mostly instrumental “Only You Can Make You Happy” are, “Trace a Line” is more mysterious in sound and lyrics as they sing, “We’re making room for alibis / when something tells me telling lies / is only ever trying to be true.” STILL NIGHT, STILL LIGHT is a gorgeous, infectious record, another beautiful collection of heartfelt songs by one of Brooklyn’s best minimalist groups. Au Revoir Simone will be playing the Highline Ballroom on January 7 with fellow Brooklynites Class Actress and up-and-coming solo artist Alexa Wilding.