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August 01, 2008
UMS Pick - Hearts of Palm
[Hearts of Palm @ Westword showcase - 6.14.08]
I first heard of Hearts of Palm minutes before seeing them at the Westword music showcase about a month in half ago. The eight piece Denver power pop collective brandishes orchestral rock flourishes and is quickly making a name for themselves locally. Formerly known as Nathan & Steven, the band smartly changed their name for practical purposes, bookers and promoters were constantly blindsided when eight people marched into venues rather than the two Nathan and Steven fellows expected. Hearts of Palm satisfy with big choral indulgences that sound like a hybrid of Los Campesinos and the Hold Steady. Lead singer Nathan McGarvey's vocals have an attractive roughness to them, yet could best be described as clean in delivery, much like the deliberate classic rock tones conveyed by Craig Finn.
On stage the band is an explosive force of regular looking, do-gooding folks, the type that may be as quick with a smile as they are putting you at ease. Set to driving pop numbers the band exudes the leave-it-all-on-stage approach. Bands with large onstage personnel are typically the type to serve high energy performances and Hearts of Palm are no exception. In this decade we've been blessed by a number of large rock collectives such as the Polyphonic Spree, New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene and arguably the best of the best, the Arcade Fire. Unique in their own ways, but all build on the dynamic engine of focused exuberance for live shows.
"No Water" might be the best track from Hearts of Palm's the Bridge EP, available free on their Myspace. Starts off with a jumpy bassline and syncopated tambourine before the cool raspiness of Nathan McGarvey paints a dystopian scene of post-rapture desertion. An accusatory nature begins taking shape as it quickly becomes clear the off stage protagonist is someone who has taken more advice from the devil on their shoulder than is sensible. Burning bridges in his or her wake, a trainwreck witnessed by helpless friends who can only wait and watch the inevitable happen.
My favorite declaration of this dark message actually comes when the ominous choral treatment is given to the lyrics, "we have no water here and everybody knows it". Not only does it sound terrific, it serves as a lyrical play to arid Colorado's land-locked status. Like a duh moment that perfectly expresses the mountain west reality while fitting perfectly into the thin narrative of someone's combustible life. They can't save this person even if they tried. The imagery returns in the repeating last lines of the song like a sad conclusion to unheralded warnings of flying dangerously close to the sun: "I wish that you made it, you never had a chance, I never had a chance to tell you."
Hearts of Palm play tonight at the Hi-Dive as part of UMS. Catch them again tomorrow at the outdoor stage at 5pm.
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More pictures of that Westword Hearts of Palm show after the jump. But first...
[Hearts of Palm, the vegetable]
Posted by Merry Swankster at August 1, 2008 12:56 PM
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Comments
see you at the hi-dive tonight!!! i am looking forward to this show, and agree that this is one of the standout tracks on the EP
Posted by: heather at August 1, 2008 03:11 PM
