Concert Review: In Tall Buildings Feels Existential At Union Pool
As awareness loss? Is genius insanity? These are the existential questions that quietly swirled in my mind like Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night at In Tall Buildings’ Union Pool show. It is clear that anybody who uses the words “ancient abuse” as a lyric is thinking on how to artistically paint a dark picture of life.
In Tall Buildings, or rather Erik Hall, is a cool, positive guy. Taking time to thank the audience and profess his love for New York in between tracks that are highly ornate in language and meaning. There are those that question life, from its moves to its motives, and then there are those who throw a gauntlet at it in challenge; Erik is the latter. Sometimes, we sing and think upon Life as if he is a person we could actually meet up with for either a quick chat or a long-awaited throw-down. Tracks like, “Akinetic”, “Curtain”, and “Beginning To Fade” showed the tear we feel at wanting to be hugged by life and love so badly that we want to punch it if it does not.
In Tall Buildings – Curtain (Official Video)
The irony of life is that when we feel we are not living to our fullest or best we want to die. Hall’s voice feels like the soot of burning lyrics; he uses his vocals like particles gathering to discuss the impurities of fire or rather desire. Moreover, his instrumentals feel like a virtual hike through a mountain; every rhythm is pixelated to look real while he lyrically figures out how to feel it. When live, such soundscapes took over Union Pool’s cozy venue, and made life/ his songs clap through the air like children’s hand games, which allowed their “existential” undertones to have a playfulness. After all, constantly thinking about where your life should go does not mean your life should stop.
In Tall Buildings – Beginning to Fade (Official Video)
Leave it to music to make you comfortably sit with your uncertainties. In Tall Buildings does exactly that by creating songs that use beauty to needle through stress, and uses his voice to soothingly thread you back together. The result is a show that you can easily put into your work schedule. In perspective, it is not like you are NOT going to think about how you are living your life during your week. Thus, think about it more beautifully with In Tall Buildings, of which you can find more information about his music and show HERE.
