Spring is not for everyone. For some, the flamboyant blue spires emerging among the roadside crabgrass promise nothing but itchy eyes and runny noses. But this one feels a little different, even for those who scowl at every shock of pink verbena and other preludes for allergenic misery. Perhaps two brutal winters and extended social dormancy can make anyone appreciate this time of year.
With the first flowers also arrived our first live broadcast from Studio 1A in over two years with Daniel Rossen. The Department of Eagles and Grizzly Bear member ended his live performance hibernation (sorry, I couldn’t resist the obvious metaphor) as well, confessing to our Concert Club members they were the first people he had performed in front of in over three years! Although we would not have been able to tell if he hadn’t said anything after he enraptured us with beautifully played songs from his debut solo record, You Belong There out this Friday, April 8th via Warp records. The melodies felt anxious, haunted, but above all else, honest and moving as Rossen punctuated the performance with brief anecdotes about his young family, leaving them for the first time to go on tour, and navigating a new and uncertain phase of adulthood. Even the worst seasonal malcontent among us can recognize it as the perfect early spring performance, and the best performance we could have asked for to begin broadcasts from Studio 1A again.
Supposedly, allergies improve by spending time among the plants that cause them. So go touch some grass and enjoy the video below.
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Album: You Belong There out on April 8thth
Label: Warp
Set List:
“Celia”
“Tangle”
Musicians: Daniel Rossen — vocals, guitar, piano.
Producer: Deidre Gott; Host: Ryan Wen; Audio: Jake Perlman; Rene Chavez; Cameras: Michael Minasi; Gabriel C. Pérez; Patricia Lim; Edit: Michael Minasi
