Thursday, June 17, 2010

Cabin: Review/Preview


It’s amazing how much unsung talent there is in this city. Shows that should cost 30 bucks with the now mandatory 15-dollar “convenience” fee don’t sell out at 7 or 10 dollars. I have a feeling another one of those shows is upon us. This Friday, tomorrow, Cabin celebrates the release of their wonderful new CD, Among the Rectangles and Changeable Parts at Headliners Music Hall.

As I mentioned in a previous post, their newest CD grabs you from the first listen. How can it not? Lead singer and principal songwriter Noah Hewitt-Ball’s voice commands attention and the instrumentation that surrounds his voice can’t help but take you to another place. Cabin’s lineup has changed considerably over the years, but the current band features Sarah Weilder on violin, keys, and vocals, Dave Chale on drums, and Billy Lease on bass with Noah doing his thing on vocals and guitar up front.

Cabin has taken a long hiatus since their last album and you can tell they have poured themselves into this latest effort. The listener gets the feeling that a perfectionist was at work creating these songs. Cabin’s melodies are catchy enough to draw you in, but it’s only the starting point of the Cabin experience rather than the end-all and be-all.

The tunes are ethereal in nature, which, for me, is a sign of good music. Something that can grab hold of your imagination and take you somewhere you’d like to spend some time is worth cherishing. Cabin’s latest CD, Among the Rectangles and Changeable Parts, has that power.

I don’t want to define or box in the music by drawing comparisons to other artists or by giving you a “review” of my favorite tracks. Instead I invite you to listen to the album, experience it for yourself, and be your own judge. You can hear the new album in its entirety at the band’s website. You can also stream their performance from last week’s live lunch at the WFPK website. As you can tell from that performance, Cabin is able to recreate the magic they took years crafting in the studio on stage.

So do yourself and this city a couple favors this weekend by going to the CD release show at Headliners and picking up this CD. Support local music; not only because it’s local and because it’s music, but because it’s good music that deserves your support. Support Cabin.

Tickets are $10. Doors at 8, show at 9. If you can't make the show CDs are available at Ear X-tacy or here

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