Sorry to state the obvious but Sean Ono Lennon has a legendary father. His hallowed catalogue and mythology that stands as giant as an elephant in a broom closet would make expectations on Sean's music career immensely difficult to imagine. That being said Sean's musical path has been eclectic possibly because he has been trying to find his niche. Having followed and appreciated his collected work from afar (Cibo Matto, solo, Chimera Records), and having dipped my toes into his discography numerous times I was upon finally listening to "Animals" from his new outfit The Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger's new LP I determined that he has finally found a sound and lifestyle that truly suits him. This is his niche moment. With obvious comparisons to JL/YO - Charlotte Kemp Muhl is his Yoko as she is pushing his artistic legacy and is clearly his muse. And this record is glorious. It's hitting all the psychedelic glory of 1967 Summer of Love with modern inspiration from the always eclectic Beck's "Guero" or "the Information".
Once I'd digested the full LP "Midnight Sun" I decided to go to the can't miss concert of GOASTT at the Imperial on May 23rd here in Vancouver. Upon inspection of the venue, your mind is dazzled immediately at the quality of the room. For a meager $20 at the door (I recommend bringing cash as the Ticketfly system was glitching on this particular day as was the cash machine in the venue) it attracted me and my beautiful date (my wife and live music aficionado) to see the spectacle and grab a glimpse of the former Beatle's spawn. The crowd was sparse for the opener "Syd Arther" (RIYL Radiohead/ELO/70's prog with reverb) hailing from Canterbury, in England, but they blew me away with wide reverb drenched soundscapes and usage of a number of delays and unique instrumentation. "Dorothy" & "Edge of the Earth" were standout numbers in their short but concise set as was the new single "Garden of Time" from their newly release recording. I spoke to the multi-instrumentalist from Syd Arthur after the set and he was very approachable and was happy to discuss his gear and rig and initial impression of Vancouver with me. After a short break, the GOASTT hit the stage with the LP's opener "Too Deep" and subsequently tore through the track listing of the LP in track order. With a brief pause and some extremely casual and light sarcasm from Sean, the band lit up the stage and the room with "Animals" which is the clear standout on the record and possibly Sean's first "indie" hit. A few notes from my impression of the stage:
- I loved Charlotte's bass playing. She has a tasteful style and solid dynamics and plays a certain 60's finger style not that far off from a young John Entwisle.
- Sean's guitar tones were massive and intense. It should also be noted that Sean is a monster on guitar. He "shreds" nimbly over the fretboard and even broke a high E string during the last tune before the de facto encore
- The percussionist and/or roadie held down excellent rhythm with strong tambourine playing which complemented the drums perfectly.
- At times there was 3-4 part harmonies drowned in reverb. I personally think the live performance of each song captured the essence of the album's spirit perfectly
The interplay between Sean & Charlotte made me instantly think of his mom and dad's beautiful partnership in 1970 and I'm sure many people compare the two frequently in public but also in private. Charlotte would playfully banter with Sean and the running jokes of the night was that him and the guitar player were kicking her out of the band. She would sarcastically defend herself by mocking Sean and wispily striking evil poses with her bass pointed like a gun. Considering the story on how S & C met (Coachella, 2004), I feel like their story may play out similarly to J & Y - a perfect love story. I hope for them that it's less scrutinized and less public than many other pop stars of today's modern age and that they are able to create a true path for their public career and private life.
All in all, the sheer energy and enthusiasm of the GOASTT, with the charisma and charm of Sean, brought me to my knees in laughter, and nearly to tears with the soundscapes and song selection.
I hope that this first foray into a new psych-pop realm will satisfy the public's need for more from the GOASTT and that they will continue to make ever better music for many years to come.
Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra
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