On August 21^st, I attended what was to be an Yndi Halda concert, featuring two other bands called Caspian and Hadoken, at TT The Bear’s Place in Cambridge, MA.  I was already very familiar with Yndi Halda and Caspian: the former’s debut album Enjoy Eternal Bliss was received among post-rock fans as hands-down, one of the most cohesive albums the genre had seen since Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s indefinite hiatus began in 2003, providing a similar orchestral sound to GYBE’s style of instrumental rock, albeit an ultimately much brighter one.  Caspian’s (pictured below) 2007 album the Four Trees, meanwhile, was also very highly rated, and was easily one of the best post-rock releases of last year; heavy-as-shit like Isis but melodic like Explosions In The Sky.  The two bands do very different things within the genre, and do it exceptionally well; needless to say, I was quite excited for this show.  Unfortunately, things didn’t quite pan out as I’d hoped, but the result was still a phenomenal and ear-splitting concert.

 

 

I arrived promptly at 9:30, the opening band, Hadoken, having just started their set.  I’m not so familiar with Hadoken, but from what I gathered at the show they are all students at University of Massachusetts, which immediately explained all the UMass kids in the crowd.  Hadoken mostly played like they were putting on a show for their friends in a backyard, which I suppose they were kind of doing.  Their performance was a solid one, though.

 

Hadoken are a little more random than other post-rock groups: their main musical device seemed to be noodling around lazily for a few minutes, stopping, and immediately throwing themselves into a heavy rock-out for a few more minutes before devolving into a mass of noise that indicates the end of a song.  It’s a stark songwriting contrast to the generally organic nature of post-rock songs, and just one of the band’s interesting takes on instrumental music.  They’re difficult to place alongside any other bands: Hadoken are a band still looking for their own distinct sound, but flashes of brilliance still showed themselves here and there.  Overall, the band put on a great set, and didn’t play the part of the opener. Oh no, they played like it was their show, and the performance was all the better as a result.

 

It was after Hadoken got off stage that the announcement was made that Yndi Halda would not be arriving to perform.  Apparently one of the axels to their van fell right out, and they simply could not make it to the venue.  It was a shame, but I was still greatly looking forward to Caspian.  A large wave of people who had come specifically to see Yndi Halda left, however, allowing several of us in the back to press right up to the very front of the stage.

 

 

When Caspian started playing, the absence of Yndi Halda allowed them to put on a more extended set, which meant we got to hear three new songs from their upcoming 2009 release.  They began with an overwhelmingly-powerful bass rumble that rattled the floor beneath.  From there, the band slowly worked into a quiet, melodious section before railing the audience in the face with one of the loudest, most intense rock-outs I’ve seen in some time.

 

Caspian knows how to start a show, and it was only uphill from there.  After the new songs, the band broke out the glockenspiel and began playing “Moksha,” the opening track from the Four Trees.  The show really hit its peak once the band was back in familiar aural territory: hands began to rise up in the air, swaying turned into nodding turned into complete headbanging, and when they got quiet, so did the crowd.  Not a word was spoken as Caspian played through their gorgeous, exquisite quiet movements. The crowd was fully in the band’s grasp, loving every note that was offered.  The sheer amount of force the band put behind their performance was amazing and I cannot stress how frigging loud these guys are on stage. Each time the band arrived at a louder section, I found myself wanting more, and within a couple minutes I would get it, and then some.  Even the most seasoned ears were overwhelmed by the power of Caspian’s performance, eyes squeezed shut, heads bobbing and shaking in a desperate attempt to physically match their intensity.

 

The highlight of the show was the encore.  They played three songs: “The Dove,” a beautiful and heart-wrenching interlude that led into “ASA,” which by the fourth minute had the guitarist wailing like something awful.  The song eventually gave way to their closer, “Some Are White Light,” arguably the finest piece on the album.  In this finale, Caspian plainly displayed what sets them apart from the other bands of the genre.  The song built toward a delirious and insane aural experience, led primarily by the drummer, who ramped up the momentum higher and higher until the band just stopped.  Two guitars harmonized beautifully before everything exploded into an unadulterated joyous mass of noise, crashing cymbals, and frenzied guitars playing transcendent melodies before they pulled out the bottom and everything tumbled back to earth.

 

Caspian

 

Although billed as an opening act, Caspian should be headlining venues.  The local boys have been growing in Boston’s music scene slowly but surely, and hopefully their upcoming European tour will bring more press their way: they are one of the best live instrumental acts out there right now, and as I sit here writing this, my ears are still ringing days later, and I eagerly look forward to their next local show in about a month.  They’ve come a hell of a long way since their most “standardized” EP, You Are the Conductor, and I think they are easily one of the finest instrumental groups playing today.