3/11/00 - Saturday, Wetlands Preserve, New York, NY

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The Disco Biscuits took a two-and-a-half month hiatus after New Year’s Eve 1999, and in that time underwent many changes. The most significant of these was the abrupt dismissal of Marc Brownstein, whose absence in this show is almost deafening (more on that later). Most of the other changes stemmed from this one major change. The band debuted four new songs—because they lost a significant amount of their catalog with the loss of Marc. They tried out many new sounds and lineups—because they were still trying to figure out what the future held for the band. Many of these configurations pay off in a meaningful way, but I can say that more easily with the comfort and security of twenty years hindsight, living in a world where Marc Brownstein rejoined the Biscuits four months later. I can’t imagine attending this show, thinking this was the future sound of the Disco Biscuits, and being pleased with it. 

Brownstein’s absence is felt not just in the music, but in the opening banter. Hearing Barber and Magner interact on stage is just weird. Here, as well in the music, Brownstein’s absence is deafening. He wasn’t just responsible for holding down the rhythm section, he was the voice of the band. The three members try a variety of strategies to compensate for Brownstein’s absence, and rather than reviewing the show chronologically I will look at each of these strategies.

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The first configuration is the standard Disco Triscuits: everyone in their original roles, with Brownstein’s bass lines covered by Magner. All four debuts, and the majority of this show, are played under this lineup. It sounds probably the most like the Biscuits we know and love compared to the other lineups; however, the sound is distinctly less “edgy” than it is with Brownstein on the bass. Magner’s bass synths give the sound a kind of smooth, almost loungey feel, and a palpably electronic sound. This leads to some very cool atmospheric and spacey jams. In most cases this is a successful experiment; there are no notable failures. The jam into Floes does basically come to a stop, but that is the nature of the song, and the jam out of Spaga breaks down very gradually and organically. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Story are two of my highlights of the evening. The violinist in EKN is one of the better Biscuits sit-ins I’ve ever heard, and the Story and 7-11 are both extremely strong debut versions. Otherwise, the rest of the music played under this configuration is pretty unremarkable.

The second configuration, and probably the most controversial, features Sammy on the bass and Mauricio filling in on an e-drum. This lineup has some advantages and numerous disadvantages. The sound is very distinct, and the ensemble created two classics in the Biscuits repertoire, Crickets and Munchkin Invasion (both of which debuted later in the year). The sound is very atmospheric, and makes for a cool, textured style of jamming. However, the tempo is hindered by these artificial drums, and many of the composed sections and (especially) peaks sound utterly terrible. Svenghali, Voices and Basis are all played with Mauricio.

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The Svenghali is particularly excellent. The atmospheric jamming style works really well, and Mauricio is particularly talented with jungle style beats. If Svenghali is a song that doesn’t suffer tremendously from lacking a massive peak, Basis is perhaps a song that suffers the most. There are some cool moments of atmosphere in the Basis but it is a snooze overall, and there is absolutely none of the usual satisfaction in the ending. Voices is a compositionally challenging song, and none of the composition sounds particularly good. The bridge in particular is atrocious.

A guest bassist (Carol Wade) does a competent job in Dribble (a solid version to be sure, especially considering she’s only bassist for a day) and Barber puts down his guitar to play bass on Jigsaw (resulting in an electronic style that gets old fast). Overall, neither of these configurations are particularly interesting or significant.

The show is a real mixed bag. The highs are high. The lows are really low. There’s very little flow or cohesion (unsurprisingly). I started off intending to score these shows, but I’m not sure I can, so different as they are from ordinary Biscuits shows. I’ll leave you with my personal high points, and allow you to judge for yourselves.

Highlights:

Svenghali: 
Lush and richly textured, this Svenghali jam is indisputably the Mauricio highlight of the show, and possibly the whole tour. Magner utilizes a lot of great effects that become standard later in the year, and Sammy is an almost surprisingly solid bassist.

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik:
What an impressive cover! The guest violinist meshes very well with the band, and the jam they craft together is superbly tasteful trance.

Story of the World:
Probably the strongest debut of a night with four very strong debuts, this Story briefly dips its toes into a more sinister atmosphere before returning to the triumphant peak.

7-11:
Compositionally it’s very rough, but once the jam section starts that hardly matters. Magner’s synth bass lines don’t sound better anywhere in the show. There’s a distinct 7-11 theme before the jam breaks down and begins heading back into Spaga. Another very worthy debut.

—Andy