Concert Review: Mandolin Orange Are My Spiritual Leaders At Music Hall Of Williamsburg

Certain instruments seem made by human hands to discover human hearts. For me ,those instruments include the violin, cello, guitar, and mandolin. For folk fans, these are the key instruments to some of the most famous, beautiful songs that have observed human life for both its insanity and brilliance. For fans of Mandolin Orange, these instruments are the ones that make their music flow like clear streams down a brisk meadow.

Mandolin Orange is both a unique and beautiful recommendation for a concert. They are not exactly the type of buoyancy and adrenaline we seek as we scope through song-kick readying to splurge on a “music night-out”. Do not expect a mix-table to pop out! Yet, as they grab their instruments, you already sense and enlivening calm enter your soul. You are about to feel vibrance for what it is: serene and still. Each band-member takes their place with an ease that has obviously grown because Mandolin Orange do not fail to serve GENUINE, good times like, the ones that are not about mindless bliss as much as peaceful euphoria. They step into moments; not out. Playing mostly off their newest album, Blindfaller, the night was helmed by the familial vibe the band shared with each other that culminated in the “parental energy” of Andrew Marlin & Emily Frantz.

I know that saying two lead singers have a “parental” energy may sound alarming and the LAST THING you want in a concert act. Yet, I do not mean “parental” in a “scolding”, “over-bearing” kind of way. I say it in a guiding, sweet leadership of sorts. There is a kindness and gentle humor to them that invites listeners into Mandolin Orange’s world. As the band banters about their musical, personal journeys to success/NY, it is as if Marlin and Frantz are two warm, smiling faces welcoming you into their home and readying to serve you delicious meals of “My Blinded Heart” and “Hey Adam” or a cover of The Dead Tongues “My Companion”. Either way, your spiritual belly will feel full from lyrics that, as per folk usual, go straight for the pit of human existentialism. From where am I going (“Hard Travelin”) to why did I leave (“Old Ties and Companions”), their verses gorgeously observe the questions that make our souls quake in fear and stress. Witnessing how we move in life can make us feel stuck, but when you hear Frantz’s plush voice fluff over words as if each one carries a pillowed sentiment, suddenly, these questions can be faced.

I am in love with Frantz voice, and the fact that she is a violinist, because both carry an elegance to them. Moreover, her sophistication doubles the beauty of Mandolin Orange’s humility as a batch of extremely talented musicians. In addition, there is not “aristocratic air” to Marlin. On the contrary, their is a wry weight to his voice that makes you feel as if his vocal chords were made from wheat, barley, and any other grain from the earth. It is always lovely to hear words that describe our earthy life and its search for Heaven, but when you have instrumentals and vocals that tie both worlds together, you feel the journey is actually worth it. I walked away appreciating love as a virtue, Blindfaller as an album, and Mandolin Orange as a group of musicians that make you feel like you can be apart of your happiness. For More Information on Mandolin Orange Click Here.