Celestial Motions

Tuesday night, 2-man band Sunparlours Players started their March residency at the Dakota. I first heard their eclectic music at the Tranzac on New Year's Eve. But I was also interested in hearing opener Emilie Mover. I enjoyed her 2011 album Seems So Long but had never seen her live.

Armed with an acoustic guitar and a soft, weary, cooing, Peggy Lee-esque voice reminiscent of classic Jazz singers, she sang some older songs from her repertoire like Mountainside but gave us mostly tunes from the upcoming Mighty Time including Alex, Fishes, and True Love. All her songs shared a common aesthetic: a resigned, regretful look at failed love summed up best by Out Of Shape (a song she said was the most truthful she had written about relationships): "But in the end, they are your friends/Nothing less and nothing more/So there's no use gettin' bent out of shape". With a sound that harkened to old standards, it wasn't surprising that she also covered a few of them: Chove Chuva (Jorge Ben Jor), Only Him Or Me (Townes Van Zandt), and Don't Fence Me In (Cole Porter). That last number is currently featured in a car commercial.

It was a wonderful performance with quiet, subtle touches. I'm looking forward to getting Mighty Time in a month's time.