MUSIC REVIEW: SCATTERED TREES - LIVE AT THE DENVER POST UMS

Indie-Pop Unification in the Heat of a Festival's Final Day

By: Jesse Livingston

July 25, 2011

(July 24, 2011 in Denver, Colorado) Chicago's Scattered Trees began as the solo project of Nate Eiesland. You might suspect this just listening to their songs because the lyrics sound very personal, like a flickering closed-circuit feed from the inside of one man's head. On stage, however, there is no trace of this specificity; if Eiesland didn't stop now and then to speak a few sentences on what the next song is going to be about, you'd think the band wrote their music in a 100% democratic manner (and perhaps they do, now that Eiesland's singular vision has grown into a group effort). In almost every case, the vocals are shared between Eiesland (also on guitar and keys), Ryne Estwing (bass), and Jason Harper (keys and guitar). Drummer Baron Harper (Jason's brother) may even have been singing along too; it was hard to see through the packed room. There would have been one more voice as well, if Alissa Eiesland (Nate's wife) hadn't been sadly absent that evening.

The members of Scattered Trees play together so effortlessly that it's hard to imagine them playing with anyone else. They trade verses and choruses; whomever isn't leading at the moment singing pretty harmonies to round out the sound. They also switch instruments from song to song, and sometimes in the middle of one. It's complete musical equality — an admirable trait. One might imagine that their recently released album, Sympathy, is named for this shared experience.

Music fans may know the band from their excellent online videos: “Four Days Straight” (directed by Markus Kneer), which shows the band performing in a practice space while a mysterious stain twists and spawns butterflies on the wall behind them; and “Love and Leave” (directed by J. M. Harper), which tells the absurd but surprisingly touching story of a storm trooper who falls in love with a Jedi princess. Festival-goers at the Denver Underground Music Showcase certainly knew them somehow, as they could be seen singing along to many of the lyrics.

The show took place at The Hi-Dive, known for its lineup of great local and nationally touring acts. It was day four of the festival, hot as hell, and everyone was having a splendid time. At a certain level of heat exhaustion, you just give in and let the music take you. It must have been boiling onstage as well, but the band played their hearts out, and the crowd loved it. The instrument and vocal change-ups gave an exciting and infectious sense of freedom, and the flame was fanned by moments such as the one in which Estwing dropped his bass, grabbed a mallet, and started playing along on the other side of the drum kit in perfect rhythm.

There were other great moments too. The song “Four Days Straight” was one of them, with its strobing guitar and ridiculously catchy chorus: “Oh, no! We both have broken hearts! Oh, no! Yours just took you away! Oh, no! Mine is keeping me here! Who knows how long I can stay!”

The song “I Swear to God” was another. It was prefaced by Eiesland saying, “I was brought up in a strong religious tradition, and this song is about finding out that not everything you learned as a kid is necessarily true.” This was followed by Jason Harper playing some gorgeous, wet, pulsing organ; a wailing chorus of “Please do not destroy us,” a spare, echoing drum breakdown; and lines about the narrator's father: “Are You standing there beside him / reassuring him I'll be just fine? / Well, if You are, then tell him You're not right.” This is probably the most powerful song about religious disillusionment since XTC's “Dear God” and Depeche Mode's “Blasphemous Rumours.”

The pure falsetto vocals returned in “Bury the Floors,” and the set ended with the title track of the album, “Sympathy.” Starting with somber electric piano and bursts of distorted bass, it crashed into a wild, dark jam that swept the show to a close.

The real magic of Scattered Trees, besides the way each member puts themselves wholly into the performance, is the way in which they make the straightforward, unapologetically sincere and heartfelt lyrics come across as natural and unpretentious. This is a testament to both the songwriting and the personalities of the band themselves. In the hands of less talented musicians, this approach might fall flat and seem too saccharine or too showy, but Scattered Trees handle it with grace and humility. They clearly mean it, and they aren't ashamed to show us they mean it. Hearing their music makes you think of all the great music that's out there waiting to be discovered, and that warm feeling isn't just the summer heat.

Standout Tracks: “Four Days Straight,” “I Swear to God,” “Love and Leave,” “Sympathy”

For Fans of: The National, The Strokes, Bloc Party, XTC