BeatBeat Whisper at The Starry Plough - review
The execution of the house lights in The Starry Plough Pub were delayed, but eventually dimmed shakily once BeatBeat Whisper's first song was almost halfway over. I probably would have made the same mistake, not knowing whether or not they were still sound checking, but once the lights lowered, it was clear that the show had begun. Brother and sister Ayla and Davyd Nereo are either so used to performing that it's become automatic, or could have possibly been feeling the effects of small-show jitters, which may explain the wall between them and the audience that took a little too long to dismantle. Though the bar murmur of glass clinking and cell phones ringing overlapped the vocals every now and then, the noise didn't lower the quality of the show.
The first song of their set was a slow melodic tune, telling a short story of innocence and mystery as the rest of the songs did, with a simple chorus of eye contact and whistling. My attention was won immediately, since I'm just a kind of girl that appreciates simple sounds used properly, which was a repeated theme with this band. At one point, Davyd was playing what looked like an electronic harmonium that was powerful enough, alone in its plainness, then he began tapping his thumb to the beat of the song and I could hardly stand how small and clever it was. Nothing was done absentmindedly, but they easily could have been, with each sound serving as a small gesture toward the completion of a message in each tune. The playing of the kalimba had a resemblance to raindrops, while the visually laughable bass drum and cymbal taken from a toy drum kit was sinister and monstrous in its effect, sounding like rolling thunder when joined with fuzzy muted drumsticks.
This shook me to the core, witnessing what had probably been the process of creating music while also growing up together. They were presenting it for everyone to see, which seemed extremely personal, honest, shameless, and proud. Even the feather hanging from the head of Davyds guitar was a sure sign in itself of the flawless natural beauty in the music they make. There was no attempt to spruce it up with difficult melodies, and though a wall was certainly present, pretentiousness was nowhere to be found.
Then came the mysterious Danny, a tall man who helped the set by playing keys and bass drum for two songs, accompanying the Cat Power-esque vocals. Together the brother and sister duo explored different sounds, some similar to the those of Coco Rosie, The Delgados, and others sounding more like Mates of State, minus the drums. The stories weaved from the loom of Alyas mind are gloriously sweet, childhood myths and memories of countryside days. During the fifth song, the band was blessed with the loud pop of a broken cord, taking the electric out and leaving only the acoustic to work with. This was exactly what they needed to break that annoying wall. They finally got around to introducing themselves! And their parents to boot!
I loved Alya and Davyds energy, and felt grateful to have been there for such a generous set. Nothing overwhelmed anything, and they were perfectly musically joined, and were such a divine honor to the notion of simplicity. It can be so much more powerful than expected. I'll be very upset if Beatbeat Whisper fails in gaining the recognition they deserve. Everything I witnessed was delicious, and a great slap in the mouth for naysayers of bay area folk music.
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