Green Line Cafe

JUNE 22ND

THEATER FIRE

Folk / Indie / Other

“Maybe it’s just because they’re Texans, but something about the band’s third album, Matter and Light, seems to view introversion as a form of secession. Perhaps because they’ve been forced to circle the wagons and rechristen themselves, they’ve cultivated a strong separatist streak in their music: With their clever orchestrations and cleverer lyrics (best: “I’m not bitter but I hope she dies”), they inhabit their little corner of the Lone Star state, and while you’re invited to listen in, they’re not asking twice or saving you a seat. Matter and Light, however, is far from inaccessible. The Fire have a knack for curious, slightly off arrangements that reveal their layers through repeated listens. Their cover of Elliott Smith’s “Say Yes” says yes to music box bells, plunking banjo, mariachi horns, and singing saw, but says no to lyrics. All they care about is Smith’s mournful up-and-down melody, which makes a lovely album intermission. “Uncle Wayne” marries a skipping rhythm to Don Feagin’s Smoggy vocals, lyrics about particularly gruesome car-crash fatalities, and trumpets playing one of the wryest fanfares ever. (It should be noted that the video features actress Angela Bettis of May fame, which means it is one of the best videos ever made). That fanfare only echoes Feagin’s performance, which gravitates toward unannounced punchlines and constant self-deprecation. “I’d like to help stop the war, but I just stayed home and watched it on TV,” Heath sings on “Swashbuckler Blues”. “I’d like to rob from the rich and give to the poor, but I’m too lazy.” They may be territorial, but the Theater Fire are more engaged with the world than even they realize” – (7.4) PITCHFORK

www.myspace.com/thetheaterfire

TBA/ TBA