The Submarines show their gratitude to Los Angeles

December 5, 2008, at the Echoplex

By Melissa Bobbitt
Published: December 8th, 2008 | 11:50am

Though their most well known song decries the bleakness and frivolity of modern society, the Submarines sure were happy at their homecoming concert. Perhaps they can thank the paragon of America’s consumer culture, the iPhone, for their success — they provided the soundtrack to a recent ad for the electronic device. So as much of the rest of the nation sinks into a slump, the Subs are sailing smoothly.

Fawn-like singer-multi-instrumentalist Blake Hazard never stopped smiling during the 75-minute set. Circulating among an emerald guitar with an Obama sticker on it, a cluster of xylophones, a tambourine, and a melodica, she conquered each with the elation of a 6 year-old who had just learned how to tie her shoes. Her long braids whipped about, her elegant legs, wrapped in lacy black tights, in lockstep with the breezy beats.

Apropos of their burgeoning popularity, the nature-themed “Fern Beard” spoke of nurturing seeds and watching beautiful things grow. And grow they have. Hazard mused over the fact that normally they’d perform upstairs at the Echo, a closet-sized venue. But fortune has smiled upon her and her partner John Dragonetti, and they’ve moved up the musical rungs by moving down the street to the hipster grotto of the Echoplex. It was the perfect setting for their poppy tunes, which rang as clearly as the album recordings.

But like everyone these days, the Submarines keep it economical; instead of littering the stage with tons of backing musicians, the duo scooped up only a drummer for this tour — a fellow who looks like that 1970s painter who specialized in “happy trees” — and relied on guitar pedals and sequencers to create the full scope of their sound. That might seem antiseptic of them, but Hazard and Dragonetti are the heart of this ship. Their real-life romantic relationship is the basis of so many of their love-laden songs. They’re Jack and Meg White without the color coordination and the weird pseudo-incestuous thing, except perkier.

Love is their fuel, and it keeps them from running aground in this ever-changing world. “Every day we wake up, we choose love,” they sang in unison for “You, Me and the Bourgeoisie,” a radio-friendly commentary on superficiality. Like John Lennon, the Submarines feel that all they need is love. The audience certainly agreed.

For more photos from this show please visit our Flickr page.

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