Brittney Parks sent her sound through a prism on acclaimed sophomore record Natural Brown Prom Queen, revealing that her Sudan Archives persona is more than capable of generating a spectrum of musical colours beyond the R&B-meets-violin of albums past. One of the risks of creating a sonic smorgasbord like NBPQ comes in putting together a coherent live presentation — how do you merge so many sounds without giving whiplash? Thankfully, Parks was more than up to the task at her Axis Club show; the crowd was treated to a performance that eliminated any fear that Sudan Archives' expansive new material might somehow stretch her performance too thin. Instead, Parks' fans got to revel in her ability to embody that expansiveness and pull them deeply into every emotion.
The night kicked off with the Growth Eternal, the synth-forward R&B project of Byron Crenshaw. While older Growth Eternal material is characterized by Crenshaw's elastic bass playing, the crowd was treated to a set composed mostly of tracks from the most recent PARASAiL-18 release, which put Crenshaw's use of the vocoder front and center. The instrument allows Crenshaw to bend his voice to the will of his fingers, plotting out vocal melodies that might have otherwise lived as synth parts. Live, the tracks came off equal parts funky and dreamy, with Crenshaw's evocative vocal phrasings drifting in and out of the sleepier melodic realm of bedroom hip hop.
Unfortunately, that sleepiness was a characteristic of the live performance itself, even if by necessity. Crenshaw had his hands and head full making sure those vocals were routed through the right notes on the keyboard, leaving him with little bandwidth to demonstrate the kind of physicality that the music might otherwise deserve. The freedom to roam and conjure kinetic energy between performer and audience was sorely missing during moments that called for more than a sway.
By contrast, Parks' Sudan Archives set was anything but restricted. Coming out to a roaring crowd and with Crenshaw stationed on synth as accompaniment, Parks launched into "Home Maker" and "Copycat (Broken Notions)" from the new record. Both songs set the tone for the rest of the show, making it abundantly clear that performances in support of NBPQ would necessitate a reinvention of what fans might expect from a Sudan Archives show. Omitting the violin in favour of live synths, a backing track and a headset microphone to open the show was a testament to Parks' desire to be unburdened by the Sudan Archives of the past. The risk paid off, freeing Parks to command the crowd in her new role as MC, her boundless energy and commitment to getting the room buzzing especially apparent on "Freakalizer."
When the violin did come out, like on throwbacks "Oatmeal" and "Glorious," the reaction was nothing short of rapturous. Not only did the violin's introduction in the set remind everyone in the room of Parks' immense talent as an instrumentalist and arranger, but it gave her a new tool by which to conduct the energy in the room. Using her bow as a pointer during breaks between violin runs on "Ciara," Parks subverted the more stoic history of her chosen instrument and rallied her audience into a frenzy instead.
Performances of NBPQ standouts like "OMG BRITT" and "ChevyS10" also proved that Parks still has new heights to take her violin playing, even if she's less interested in making it the anchor of her sets. The live incarnation of the former featured a ferocity not usually present in Parks' note choices, perfectly matching the bravado of the rapid-fire lyrical delivery. The latter was a lesson in how to integrate the stringed instrument into new territories seamlessly, with Parks trading off between plucking the violin for texture and triggering clubby pads from a sampler.
The almost unwavering momentum of the set was somewhat impeded by closer "Homesick (Gorgeous and Arrogant)," its patient throb being too low-key to successfully keep the energy going. The crowd took advantage of some downtime to gear up for two encores, but not before losing some of its members to the frigid October air. Thankfully, the majority that stuck around were treated to a virtuoso finale. While most of the show served as a testament to Parks' reinvention of the Sudan Archives sound, encore numbers "FLUE" and "Come Meh Way" were a reminder of Parks' more humble sonic roots.
Recalling her beginnings working primarily with violin, a looping station and her voice, Parks set both tracks in motion by building beautiful stacks of billowy violin before launching into their respective grooves. One wonders if the return to musical origins was a nod by Parks to the name of the tour, "Homecoming." Intentional or not, Parks made sure to let the Toronto audience down gently after a captivating tour through her musical world.
The night kicked off with the Growth Eternal, the synth-forward R&B project of Byron Crenshaw. While older Growth Eternal material is characterized by Crenshaw's elastic bass playing, the crowd was treated to a set composed mostly of tracks from the most recent PARASAiL-18 release, which put Crenshaw's use of the vocoder front and center. The instrument allows Crenshaw to bend his voice to the will of his fingers, plotting out vocal melodies that might have otherwise lived as synth parts. Live, the tracks came off equal parts funky and dreamy, with Crenshaw's evocative vocal phrasings drifting in and out of the sleepier melodic realm of bedroom hip hop.
Unfortunately, that sleepiness was a characteristic of the live performance itself, even if by necessity. Crenshaw had his hands and head full making sure those vocals were routed through the right notes on the keyboard, leaving him with little bandwidth to demonstrate the kind of physicality that the music might otherwise deserve. The freedom to roam and conjure kinetic energy between performer and audience was sorely missing during moments that called for more than a sway.
By contrast, Parks' Sudan Archives set was anything but restricted. Coming out to a roaring crowd and with Crenshaw stationed on synth as accompaniment, Parks launched into "Home Maker" and "Copycat (Broken Notions)" from the new record. Both songs set the tone for the rest of the show, making it abundantly clear that performances in support of NBPQ would necessitate a reinvention of what fans might expect from a Sudan Archives show. Omitting the violin in favour of live synths, a backing track and a headset microphone to open the show was a testament to Parks' desire to be unburdened by the Sudan Archives of the past. The risk paid off, freeing Parks to command the crowd in her new role as MC, her boundless energy and commitment to getting the room buzzing especially apparent on "Freakalizer."
When the violin did come out, like on throwbacks "Oatmeal" and "Glorious," the reaction was nothing short of rapturous. Not only did the violin's introduction in the set remind everyone in the room of Parks' immense talent as an instrumentalist and arranger, but it gave her a new tool by which to conduct the energy in the room. Using her bow as a pointer during breaks between violin runs on "Ciara," Parks subverted the more stoic history of her chosen instrument and rallied her audience into a frenzy instead.
Performances of NBPQ standouts like "OMG BRITT" and "ChevyS10" also proved that Parks still has new heights to take her violin playing, even if she's less interested in making it the anchor of her sets. The live incarnation of the former featured a ferocity not usually present in Parks' note choices, perfectly matching the bravado of the rapid-fire lyrical delivery. The latter was a lesson in how to integrate the stringed instrument into new territories seamlessly, with Parks trading off between plucking the violin for texture and triggering clubby pads from a sampler.
The almost unwavering momentum of the set was somewhat impeded by closer "Homesick (Gorgeous and Arrogant)," its patient throb being too low-key to successfully keep the energy going. The crowd took advantage of some downtime to gear up for two encores, but not before losing some of its members to the frigid October air. Thankfully, the majority that stuck around were treated to a virtuoso finale. While most of the show served as a testament to Parks' reinvention of the Sudan Archives sound, encore numbers "FLUE" and "Come Meh Way" were a reminder of Parks' more humble sonic roots.
Recalling her beginnings working primarily with violin, a looping station and her voice, Parks set both tracks in motion by building beautiful stacks of billowy violin before launching into their respective grooves. One wonders if the return to musical origins was a nod by Parks to the name of the tour, "Homecoming." Intentional or not, Parks made sure to let the Toronto audience down gently after a captivating tour through her musical world.
