Live Review: Subtle @ the Great American Music Hall

By Tyler Corelitz

I reached the Great American Music Hall after riding my bike from the Marina, and was pleased that I did not get lost, as has been habit since moving to the city a month ago. I had not been planning on going to the show that night, but was excited, as the last time I was in the venue was to see Black Lips play a sold-out concert. Suffice it to say I wanted to re-live some of that night's majesty. (more >>)

It cost me five hard-earned dollars to check my bag, but I was glad I did, because all the seats were taken and I had to stand. My friend and I watched opener Facing New York from the balcony. They were very relaxed, almost to a fault, but they played well and others in the audience seemed to be liking it so I assume it just wasn't my thing. As their set carried on we moved from the balcony to the floor. The best thing about the Great American is that the sound is fantastic regardless of where you are standing. While the floor was more crowded I missed getting to watch the drummer play some interesting and funky polyrhythms and was soon waiting for the set to end so that Oakland-based headliner Subtle could play. Facing New York are not bad; they just sound a little too LA studio, despite many of their lyrics being rooted in East Bay noir. For the last couple of songs a sax joined the trio on stage and the earlier compositions suddenly made a little more sense, making me think that a permanent expansion to a quartet may be a good thing. I would see them again if the price was right, as they seem to be still exploring the depths of their music.

When Subtle took the stage around 11 or so, the crowd had swelled some, but was nowhere near capacity. My beer finished, I moved closer to the stage, trying to make out some of the props the band had brought with them. At first I was thrown off by Subtle's sound, which for the first two songs lacked a solid back beat. This combined with the half-rapped, half-sung vocal approach was hard to swallow, even though I had listened to some of the band's earlier work. This might have been due to the fact that all the vocals and instrumentation were cut with effects to the point that it was hard to hear some of the harmonies and melodies that come across so well on the recordings. The other thing that was at first unsettling is that Subtle plays rap-rock, just without all the bullshit the early mainstream pioneers (Limp Bizkit?!) of this "genre" brought to the table. There is of course the electric cello, and the truly talented frontman/lyricist Doseone, whose Blackalicious leanings are welcome and fit well with the bouncy electric drums. Maybe it was those drums, or just my post-work delirium, but for some strange reason I kept imagining a brawl between Subtle and Hot Chip.

From where I was standing there was only one acoustic instrument visible on stage and it was the drum kit. All other sounds were produced electronically, but with such grace and skill that they retained all the warmth of the room (once the levels were right). Subtle is so impressive to watch because sound is coming at you whose source it is often hard to determine, and it fits together so well that one is at a loss for ways to change it -- as if the parts were created specifically to work with each other and could not exist otherwise. It is an aggressive sound, with many dark lyrical undercurrents, but also a sound that draws one in, creating attraction to the power of the performers and the strength of their conviction. Subtle ended with an encore: two songs that I knew and were easier to remember because the hooks are less hidden. The crowd seemed satisfied for a Wednesday and turned to take their leave and buy merchandise, although the new CD, ExitingARM, was not available.

I left on my bike hoping my earlier navigational luck would persist, and spent the whole ride going over new musical ideas. Subtle throws so much at its audiences, visually and sonically, and all of it is so honest and personal. It is hard to watch them without getting some sort of inspiration. More skilled and more intelligent than their mainstream counterparts, and featuring one truly interesting and talented MC -- whose stage presence is topped by few -- Subtle is currently touring the Pacific Northwest behind its third full-length album, which saw release this week.