Anaïs Mitchell: The Brightness
On Wednesday I found myself in the delightful Kilburn venue that is The Luminaire watching Anaïs Mitchell. Anaïs has previously slipped completely under my radar, and it wasn't until this gig was recommended to me by a friend that I did some digging and found a copy of her latest LP, The Brightness. Now to a stranger I would best describe her as "very much like Ani DiFranco", but I know at least one person who'd bite my head off if I was to do that. It's no surprise then to learn that she's signed to Ani's Righteous Babe Records.
There is certainly no better venue for seeing an acoustic singer songwriter than The Luminaire. The PA is superb (and the space seems to have been properly "acoustically treated"), the floors and walls are clean, and the whole place is littered with "Shut Up!: we didn't pay to hear you talk" signs. That, coupled with the fact that the place was rammed with her die-hard fans, seemed to make for quite a special evening, for Anaïs at least. Personally I'm of the opinion that there's nothing more undignified than singing along at a gig, so the crowd was bound to annoy me.
Another factor contributing to my increasingly foul mood was the sheer conceit of the girl. Now don't get me wrong, she seemed all kinds of nervous and was certainly humbled by the presence of so many fans, but she kept banging on about an "opera" that she'd written. The songs are, in a word, excellent, and her finger-picking guitar style is brutal and superbly original. So what am I getting all het up about, I hear you ask? As a said before: the bare faced cheek of it all.
I'm no opera purist, but from the examples she played us I can't say I'm expecting any genuine arias or cantatas. I gather that it's a (sadly less than subtle) take on the sorry, sorry tale of Orpheus but set in a "dystopian, post-apocalyptic depression-era American town". For sure it's somewhat current thematically, but La Muette de Portici it ain't... Many believe that concept albums went the way of the dodo along with the Golden Age of Prog', but happily it's a form of LP still in existence today.
The main difference now is that they're never mentioned explicitly. The themes are more subtle, more obscure; and while an album may tell a story or have a single thematic thread, no one feels the need to shout about it. As I said, her songs are excellent, and slowly picking up on Orpheus/Euridice references throughout a conventional album would probably be quite a rewarding experience. Except it never will be, as she's intent on ramming her intentions down out throats.
In short: The Brightness is a fairly good album, her songs are really good, and she puts on a good show. But please, in the name of all that is right and proper, give her a slap if you hear her talking about her "opera".