YACHT stays afloat but Chairlift almost drops the ball in Chicago

March 14, 2009, at Schubas

By Selena Fragassi
Published: March 17th, 2009 | 1:20am

“This is like college — we’re breaking ground here at Schubas!” exclaimed YACHT singer Jona Bechtolt as he pulled up his iTunes playlist to treat the ill-informed crowd to the ghetto fabulosity of Dem G Spot Boyz’s “Do the Stanky Legg.” It was nearing the end of the Portland duo’s variety show that paired the simple novelty of miming, animal puppets, hand jives, and audience Q&A sessions with high-tech Powerpoint fodder, when things got even more sidetracked.

“Ooooh, your playlist is so embarrassing,” chimed in newly inducted singer (and occasional Venus Zine contributor) Claire L. Evans, before apologizing for her profuse sweating and making a bizarre comparison to Garbage’s hit “Only Happy When it Rains.”

Had it not been for the rollicking dance beats and sociopolitical chants of a band that declares in bold-face type on its Web site, “YACHT is not a cult,” you would have forgotten this was actually a musical performance. Although without a guitar or snare drum in sight, team Bechtolt and Evans still managed to put on one helluva show with recorded tracks and live vocals that kept time with the constant video feed that played behind them and showcased a definitive obsession with triangles.

Although YACHT may exist as more of an avant-garde concept to make up for a lack of musical proficiency, its show covered every base to keep the modern-age, attention-starved crowd hooked at every moment. Blonde-haired Evans, looking like a Wiccan Annie Lennox in a sheer black hooded cape, was eager to please sexually as she made out with her microphone, while dark-haired Bechtolt, dressed in a white top, tie, and matching suspenders, looked like a sanctimonious Baptist preacher offering salvation as he bowed his hands over the crowd.

Although their beats were nothing genius, YACHT proved that it had something to say with youth-inspired anthems like “What’s that noise? That’s the sound of 100 babies dying, of people ill at ease with their lives” or the five-minute diatribe “You can live any way you want.” Most of the night’s material followed the same pattern, showcasing attention-worthy material from the to-be-released See Mystery Lights (DFA Records) which proved YACHT’s triangle imagery may just be a subliminal way to get you to see the play button.

Headliners Chairlift had a difficult time living up to the antics of its openers in a set that shorted on time (barely seven songs that ended abruptly with, “Have a good night”) and personality as singer Caroline Polachek hid behind her the curtains of her long, dark hair and the dramatic choreography she brought to playing the cowbell, tambourine, and keyboards.

Although the band obliged to playing its hit, “Bruises,” the pop-inspired Apple commercial success was soon eclipsed by superior, ethereal tracks like “Territory” and “Planet Health” from Does You Inspire You (Kanine Records, being re-released in April on Columbia). The latter two featured the best of Chairlift’s retro, ’80s synth sound melding with an eerie echo that suggested truth behind the claim that the band’s earliest existence was experimentation with haunted house soundtracks. But the true ghostly experience was Polachek’s voice which beautifully gravitated between Björk’s worldly yodeling, Dusty Springfield’s effortless ingenuity, and Feist’s simple innocence.

The handful of other tracks were less impressive, as they played out with too much dead instrumental time and lost Polacheck’s voice in the heavy space of drums and bass, which proved that you don’t always have to bring the fancy stage getup, but you do have to put on a show to keep from sinking into oblivion.

For more photos from this show visit Venus Zine’s Flickr page